Deck 7: Juvenilefamily Forensics

Question 1

Discuss with a group your thoughts on using techniques like CCTV to help improve the reliability of child witness testimonies while lessening their distress.Do you believe the benefits outweigh the potential downfalls? Do you believe the rights of defendants outweigh the potential distress of child witnesses?

Answer 1

Open response.For example Goodman et al.'s 2006)study found that children testifying live in court were perceived as more credible and elicited greater sympathy.Troxel et al.2009)reported that the use of closed-circuit television does not influence jurors' abilities to detect deception in children's testimony and that there is no support for the theory that jurors reach the truth better when children testify in open court versus testifying by closed- circuit television.

Question 2

Describe the Best Interest of the Child standard.

Answer 2

The Best Interest of the Child standard is a component of child custody that addresses environment adjustment and well-being of the child.It is applied in child custody cases and requires judges to consider what portions of the divorce will affect the children and make certain their needs are met.

Question 3

The law has been criticized for not protecting the emotional interests of children in many situations.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

How is a formal custody evaluation valuable to the interested parties?

Question 5

Discuss what factors you believe should be considered in custody evaluations.Provide support for your opinions.

Question 6

The tender years presumption describes the belief that children should remain with their fathers due to their vulnerability in early childhood and their fathers' ability to provide protection.

Question 7

Approximately 25% of all marriages end in divorce.

Question 8

What impact does divorce have on children in terms of academic performance behavior self-esteem and social skills compared to children from intact homes?

Question 9

Children under five years of age do not possess the necessary capacities to be competent to testify in court.