Child advocacy centers and child sexual abuse in Nevada

Date

2011

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Abstract

Child sexual abuse has gained significant attention from the medical, legal and social research communities over the last couple decades. Developed in the 1980s, Child Advocacy Centers (CACs) have been noted as one of the leading developments in combating child sexual abuse. Child Advocacy Centers bring together multi-disciplinary teams in a child friendly environment to improve resources for abused children and their families as well as aid in prosecution. The majority of states across the country have adopted aggressive legislation and funding initiatives to aid in protecting this vulnerable population. This study analyses Nevada’s position on childhood sexual abuse and compares it to states similar in demographics. While many studies evaluating the effectiveness of CAC have focused largely on prosecutorial outcomes, this study evaluates CAC effectiveness on the basis of report disposition and prior victimization. This study finds that the number of CACs located within a state has a significant impact on report disposition and prior victimization for children that have been sexually abused. (Author abstract)

Description

Keywords

children's advocacy centers, multidisciplinary team, evaluation

Citation

Ruggieri, C. L. (2011). Child advocacy centers and child sexual abuse in Nevada. University of Nevada, Las Vegas. UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones. 923.

DOI