This well-written book covers both practical aspects of investigation and the theoretical underpinnings. Starting with ideas for team building, the volume offers concrete guidance about the most effective structures available to teams. . . . This volume will be of interest to those wishing to start a team and also to existing team members who want assistance with optimizing team development. --Virginia Child Protection Newsletter "Highly recommended." --Family Violence & Sexual Assault Bulletin Book Club As child abuse investigation and intervention evolved throughout the past decade, it has become clear that no single discipline or agency can meet the needs of abused children and their families. This practical, timely, and accessibly written book focuses on how to develop, operate, and maintain effective investigative teams. It examines how law enforcement officers, child protection workers, prosecutors, medical professionals, and mental health clinicians can form coordinated investigative teams for fact finding, child protection, and criminal prosecution. The authors devote a series of chapters to investigative interviewing, investigative protocol, preparing for the child interview, the child interview process, corroborating interviews, and interviewing the suspect. Other chapters include discussion on building teams, and the roles and responsibilities of the team members (child protective services, law enforcement, prosecutors, mental health representative, and child welfare agency counsel). The book concludes with two important chapters on the team decision-making process and decision making in complex environments. A must read for all professionals and those in training who are, or will be, involved in child sexual abuse investigations.

For investigators, the emphasis of traditional forensics (the science of the crime scene) has resulted in the loss of deductive reasoning skills. This book centers on the investigatorfs ability to interpret and identify non-traditional cues and clues, oftentimes seemingly ginnocenth actions, through the investigatorfs deductive reasoning skills. If the investigator can interpret these items and understand their evidentiary value and how this information becomes evidence of the crime itself, an investigation is more likely to have a positive outcome. Separated into five sections, the first section defines the roles, goals and outcomes. The next section pertains to the psychological aspects of the parties involved, including the victim, the suspect, and the non-offending parents. The third section concentrates on the investigation. This section addresses and discusses court rulings and significant cases (e.g. Crawford v. Washington). This is followed with interview methodologies and some leading interview guidelines. The crime scene is discussed in the next section. The fourth section reviews the court process, and the final section addresses the impact of long-term exposure to child abuse on team members. The book includes chapter summaries and numerous actual case examples of some of the more well-known and high profile investigations. At the end of each chapter is a list of key terms along with critical thinking questions for the reader to analyze and provide answers to the presented problems. The book will be an invaluable resource to law enforcement, child protective services, medical personnel, courts, and child advocates.

To assist investigators and prosecutors, APRI's National Center for Prosecution of Child Abuse—the nation's premiere trainer of child abuse prosecutors and investigators—presents the Investigation and Prosecution of Child Abuse, Third Edition. Readers of this manual will receive practical, common sense assistance in handling child abuse cases from the initial report to the closing argument at trial. Appendices on the enclosed CD-ROM include hundreds of sample motions and other legal documents that can be adapted to the jurisdiction of individual readers. Now in its Third Edition, the manual contains the latest in case law and research on nearly every facet of child sexual abuse, physical abuse and neglect. This is the only book on the market specifically geared to investigators and prosecutors called upon to handle abuse cases.