Consequences of criminal court involvement for child victims.

Abstract

Despite concerns being routinely raised about psychological consequences for child victims of participation in criminal proceedings, empirical research remains limited, and findings have not been integrated within a well-established set of theoretical principles. In the current review, we describe extant research concerning the links between child victims’ involvement in criminal prosecutions and subsequent outcomes, particularly in the domains of mental health and legal attitudes. Findings reveal that, although some facets of children’s legal experiences, such as testifying repeatedly, are associated with adverse outcomes, this is largely the case only under certain circumstances—numerous factors interact to influence consequences of legal involvement. Further, although young children are often quite vulnerable when exposed to negative experiences generally, older children and adolescents may actually be more adversely affected by some features of legal involvement. Overall, the research highlights the complex interplay between children’s legal experiences and children’s development in shaping their reactions to legal involvement and suggests ways to facilitate their participation in the legal process while maintaining fair judicial procedures for the accused.

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