Talking to Child Victims for Prosecutors

On-Demand Webinar Title: Talking to Child Victims for Prosecutors

Live webinar date: April 15, 2021

Duration: 91-minute presentation

CLE: This course, originally a live webinar on April 15th, 2021, was recorded for on-demand attendance. The live webinar was approved for CLE credit in certain states; however, NDAA is not responsible for applying for CLE approval or reporting CLE credits for this on-demand webinar. Attendees are responsible for ensuring their state accepts their applications for self-study CLE credits. Upon completion of your on-demand course (video, quiz and survey), you will be able to access a CLE Uniform Certificate of Attendance. If your state accepts self-study credits, you can submit this Certificate and other required materials directly to your state bar. NDAA does not apply for CLE approval for recorded content or report on-demand CLE attendance for this webinar. Attendees must self-submit this course for approval in their home state. All attorneys are responsible for any fees associated with CLE filing. Attorneys seeking CLE credit should contact their state bar associations for more information. General questions or additional information regarding CLE credit can be directed to cle@ndaajustice.org.

[States that previously approved CLE credit for this course: Georgia and Virginia]

Summary: Before you meet a child witness for the first time or schedule a prep session for trial with a child witness, watch this webinar to make sure you phrase questions appropriately for the child's developmental stage. This webinar discusses children's language development to give prosecutors a better idea of how to speak and ask questions of child victims. The webinar will provide a brief overview of the interviewing field and factors that may affect children's reports. The webinar will also provide practical guidance on how to discuss past abuse without leading/highly suggestive questioning to obtain important details and increase the chances of positive case outcomes. Also, approximately 36 percent of all sex offenses committed against children are committed by juveniles.  That means juvenile court prosecutors must try these complicated and difficult cases.  And yet, many juvenile court prosecutors are very new in their position and were not taught anything about talking to children about traumatic events in law school.  Public safety is enhanced when prosecutors know developmentally appropriate ways to interview child victims.

Presenter: Scott Snider, LCSW

Cost: 

Members: Free

Non-Members: Free

If you would like to become a member, please join here!

OnDemand Access: This webinar was originally recorded on August 16th, 2024, and made available On-Demand on this platform for general educational purposes by NDAA with the help of OJJDP's NTTAC.

Attribution & Disclaimer: 

This project is supported by Grant #2019-MU-MU-K002 awarded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication/program/exhibition are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the Department of Justice.

OJJDP Priorities

•Treating Children as Children 

•Serve Children at Home, with their Families, In their communities 

•Open Up Opportunities for Young People Involved in the Justice System