FEBRUARY 1999
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Jeopardy in the Courtroom :
A Scientific Analysis of Children's Testimony
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Stephen J. Ceci & Maggie Bruck
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(1995)
336 Pages
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This comprehensive resource helps the reader
evaluate and understand children's statements in the courtroom. Noting
that in many instances testimony is elicited from children using questionable
techniques that may be damaging to both defendant and accused, Ceci and
Bruck describe procedures that will ensure that interviews and analysis
are conducted in a sensitive and professional manager.
The credibility of children's testimony
is a highly debated topic in America's courtrooms, universities, and living
rooms. Does the ingenuousness of children assure that their testimony will
always be truthful? Or are children easily misled by overzealous investigators
and therapists into making untrue allegations? Stephen J. Ceci and Maggie
Bruck contend that the truth falls somewhere between these extremes. Using
case studies ranging from the Salem Witch Hunt to the Little Rascals Day
Care case to illustrate their argument, Jeopardy in the Courtroom draws
from the vast corpus of scientific research to clarify what is most relevant
for evaluating and understanding children's statements made in the legal
arena. |
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