CHILD ABUSE: INTERVIEWING POSSIBLE VICTIMS

            CHILD ABUSE: INTERVIEWING POSSIBLE VICTIMS

                               By

                           David Gullo

                           Lieutenant

             Commander/Special Enforcement Division

             Campbell, California, Police Department

     Law enforcement officers often respond to incidents that

involve children, including calls that require emergency

placement, social service referrals, and criminal investigations.

However, with increasing regularity, officers must also respond

to calls that involve child sexual abuse.

     This raises the question of whether law enforcement officers

understand how to interview children effectively when faced with

cases of this nature. Clearly, investigators who conduct such

interviews must possess special skills. At a minimum, they should

know how to ask questions that are not leading, and they should

have a good working knowledge of how to structure an interview.

     Most important, however, officers who deal with child abuse

cases should have a fundamental understanding of child

development. Adults may remember what it was like to be a child,

but childhood memories are not enough to understand child

behavior. A nationwide child-care facility believes that it takes

a well-trained mind to think like a child--interviewers need to

learn as much as possible about how children think and develop.

     Basic knowledge in the area of child development helps to

build a foundation for successful interviews of children. Without

this foundation, interviews involving children are likely to be

unsuccessful, perhaps even disastrous. 

CHILD DEVELOPMENT

     Investigators who understand how children develop can more

readily choose appropriate methods to gain information and assess

the child's response during the interview process. There are five

stages of child development--infancy, early childhood, preschool

age, school age, and adolescence. (1) Interviewers familiar with

the various developmental stages can better judge whether the

child is likely--at a particular age--to comprehend the

questions, as well as whether the child can successfully

communicate thoughts and feelings.

     For example, investigators who know that children between

the ages of 4 and 6 do not generally comprehend such major

concepts as time, space, and distance avoid asking such questions

as "What time did your daddy touch you?" Instead, they frame

their questions around times familiar to children, such as

dinner, bedtime, or playtime.

     At the same time, while understanding the development of

young children is important, investigators should not neglect to

educate themselves on the developmental stages of adolescents as

well. Interviewers armed with the information that teenagers

frequently mask their true feelings with humor or denial can

approach the interview by first developing a rapport with them in

order to put them at ease. Teenagers at ease with their

interviewers are much more likely to share their experiences and

feelings.

CHILD SEXUAL BEHAVIOR

     Obtaining some background information about a child's sexual

behavior is also critical. This type of information helps

interviewers to understand why children may respond the way they

do.

     Generally, questions about sex start as early as 2 years of

age. Between the ages of 6 months and 2 years, children handle

their genitals as they would their noses or toes. They are

exploring and discovering their bodies. From 2 to 5 years of age,

normal curiosity prompts children to look at and touch others.

Playing "doctor" is not uncommon, and children may masturbate.

(2)

     After age 6, children seem to know that they should keep

sexual activity and curiosity private. Children who continue to

touch their genitals or masturbate excessively, ask a lot of

sexual questions, are occupied with the bodies of others, or show

overt sexual aggression are usually disturbed about something.

(3) It is important to remember, however, that while sexual abuse

is a possibility in these cases, other problems that cause fear

or anxiety may also provoke this type of behavior.

     When parents find their children masturbating, they

sometimes report this behavior to law enforcement officers. The

parents, believing that this behavior is abnormal, suspect that

the child has been molested. It is up to police interviewers to

rule out the possibility of sexual abuse.

     Officers who have some knowledge of child sexual behavior

can ask the children appropriate questions that are

understandable and nonthreatening, but are not accusatory. They

can also help parents to understand the behavior of their

children.

EMOTIONAL STYLE

     Another factor that impacts the manner in which officers

approach an interview is the emotional style exhibited by the

child. Some children are outgoing and verbal (expressive), while

others are timid and nonverbal (controlled). (4) Expressive

children usually speak with ease on a range of topics. At times,

they may even be too talkative. Controlled children, on the other

hand, are quiet and usually do not show their feelings. In

addition, they often avoid eye contact and keep their heads or

bodies turned away from interviewers.

     Investigators should attempt to identify the child's

emotional style prior to the interview. Parents and teachers

often make good sources for this type of information. However, if

children exhibit uncharacteristic emotional styles, interviewers

should not assume that they have been abused. Instead, they

should attempt to determine why their emotional style has changed

and then include this information in a written interview report.

QUESTIONING VICTIMS

     In addition to understanding child development, child

sexuality, and the different emotional styles of children,

investigators who interview children regarding abuse also need to

know the various types of questions they can ask. They should be

aware that this important factor can impact on the final result

of the interview.

     Questioning victims is an integral part of child abuse

investigations. Proper techniques facilitate the child's

response, but do not suggest a particular one. This, in turn,

leads to disclosure of the facts. The primary goal of the

questioning is to obtain untainted information from the child

that prosecutors can use in court proceedings. 

     Five common types of questions exist--general, focused,

multiple choice, yes or no, and leading. (5) Investigators who

interview children regarding abuse should be aware of what types

of questions gain information from children most effectively.

They should attempt to stay within the framework of open-ended,

general, or focused questions. 

     If interviewers try several of these types of questions

without obtaining results, they should stop the interview and

schedule a second meeting with the child. A change in emotional

circumstances may make the child feel more comfortable speaking

about the incident. (6)

GENERAL QUESTIONS

     General questions inquire in a nonspecific manner about the

child's state of mind or specific circumstances. Examples might

include how the child has been feeling lately or why the child is

seeing the interviewer. While these questions may be appropriate

for adults, they are less likely to evoke effective responses

from children, who generally require more specific information.

When asked why they are meeting with the interviewer, children

often respond "I do not know" or "I forgot."

FOCUSED QUESTIONS

     Focused questions require that children offer more

information as a response. An example of a focused question would

be, "What secrets do you have with your dad?"  This type of

question identifies a specific person, and therefore, limits the

discussion.

MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS

     Investigators should use multiple choice questions with

children who have difficulty describing their abuse. However,

interviewers should first test the child's response pattern to

multiple-choice questions with nonessential questions. Some

children respond to only the last choice they hear. By asking a

short series of multiple-choice questions, the interviewer can

establish whether the child responds honestly or to the same

choice each time.

     Another good indicator of whether children are being open

and honest is when they use their own words to respond to a

multiple-choice question. For example, when asked whether they

were wearing day clothes or night clothes, they may describe

their attire in detail, including color, style, etc.

YES OR NO QUESTIONS

     Yes or no questions are generally ineffective when used in

interviews with children. An exception to this would be to ask a

general question requiring a yes or no answer, followed by a

question that requires more specific information. An example

would be to ask about whether a specific act of abuse occurred.

If the answer is yes, the interviewer should ask the child who

committed the abuse.

LEADING QUESTIONS

     Leading questions are inappropriate for interviews of

children. Children are easily led, and in the majority of

circumstances, their answers will reflect the way the interviewer

slants the question. For instance, if interviewers indicate who

they believe committed the abuse, the children will usually

sustain this belief.

CONCLUSION

     It is critical that investigators who must interview

children learn as much as possible about child behavior. Most law

enforcement regional training centers offer classes in how to

interview children to officers who obtain positions that require

this skill. Those who have a basic foundation in this area can

interview children more effectively because they are better

equipped to choose appropriate methods for gaining information.

     The number of reported child abuse cases in the United

States continues to grow. Members of the law enforcement

community must prepare to meet this growing challenge. They can

do this by developing a basic knowledge of child development and

behavior. Armed with this valuable knowledge, officers can gain

critical information from children and contribute to the

successful prosecution of these serious cases.

ENDNOTES

     (1)  Interviewing Child Victims of Sexual Exploitation,

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Arlington,

Virginia, 1987.

     (2)  Loraine Stern, M.D., "Your Child's Health, Children and

Sex," Woman's Day, August 1990.

     (3)  Ibid.

     (4)  Ann Wolbert Burgess, R.N., D.N.Sc., "Counseling Young

Victims," Sexual Assault of Children and Adolescents (Lexington,

MA: D.C. Heath Co., 1978).

     (5)  Kathleen Coulborn Faller, M.S., Ph.D., Child Sexual

Abuse: An Interdisciplinary Manual for the Diagnosis, Case

Management, and Treatment (New York: Columbia University Press,

1988).

     (6)  Ibid.