Child victims with disabilities: A guide for prosecutors
| dc.contributor.author | Zero Abuse Project | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2022-04-22T15:01:38Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2022-04-22T15:01:38Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2022 | |
| dc.description.abstract | Nearly 700,000 children experience abuse, maltreatment, or neglect each year, with the most common allegations being physical neglect, physical abuse, and sexual abuse.1 1 National annual child abuse statistics cited from U.S. Administration for Children & Families, Child Maltreatment 2019. This data, released annually, is the most current federal data available. https://www.acf.hhs.gov/cb/research-data technology/statistics-research/child-maltreatment Since child abuse is vastly underreported, this figure is not entirely reflective of the scope of the issue. Of the children that experience child abuse and maltreatment, children with disabilities are affected at staggering rates, despite being underrepresented in our child protection and judicial systems. Children with disabilities are at least three times more likely to be abused or neglected than their peers without disabilities,2 and they are more likely to be seriously injured or harmed by maltreatment.3 2 Jones, L. et al., (2012). Prevalence and risk of violence against children with disabilities: A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. Lancet, 380, 899–907. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(12)60692-8 3 Sedlak, A. J. et al. (2010). Fourth National Incidence Study of Child Abuse and Neglect (NIS–4): Report to Congress. Retrieved from At the same time, disabilities themselves are not monolithic and are often co-present. Accordingly, prosecutors handling these important cases must be prepared to serve and advocate for individual child victims’ unique physical, cognitive, and emotional needs. This obligation extends throughout the prosecution, including: the pretrial process, preparation of the child to testify, development of courtroom accommodations, expert witness and competency considerations, utilization of Individual Education Programs (IEPs), jury selection, and integration of case themes. This guide addresses each of these components of the prosecution and concludes with sample motions to implement recommendations. | en_US |
| dc.identifier.citation | Zero Abuse Project. (2022). Child victims with disabilities: A guide for prosecutors. Author. | en_US |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://www.zeroabuseproject.org/child-victims-with-disabilities-a-guide-for-prosecutors/ | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/11212/5397 | |
| dc.language.iso | en_US | en_US |
| dc.publisher | Zero Abuse Project | en_US |
| dc.subject | child abuse | en_US |
| dc.subject | prosecution | en_US |
| dc.subject | court | en_US |
| dc.subject | disabilities | en_US |
| dc.subject | court preparation | en_US |
| dc.title | Child victims with disabilities: A guide for prosecutors | en_US |
| dc.type | Article | en_US |