Prosecution of the Offender in Cases of Sexual Assault Against Children

• NCJ Number: 88906
• Journal: Victimology Volume: 6 Issue: 1-4 Dated: (1981) Pages: 102-109
• Author(s): J R Conte; L Berliner
• Date Published: 1983
• Length: 8 pages
• Grant Number(s): 77-DF-10-0016
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored

Annotation

This report describes a set of procedures instituted within a county prosecuting attorney's office in Washington State for handling cases involving a child victim of sexual assault.

Abstract

The procedures include arrangements for interviewing the child victim and for the preassignment of child cases to a single attorney who handles the case from pretrial through trial arrangements. The report presents data from a sample of 84 offenders prosecuted during a 1-year period. The data include information about the relationship of the offender to the child victim, types of charges filed, case deposition, and length of time required in prosecution. The data suggest that the prosecution of the offender need not require a punitive removal of the adult from the community and placement in a penal institution. In addition, the data show that once charges are filed by the prosecutor's office, an overwhelming majority of the cases result in successful prosecution, usually in less than 4 months. Study data are included. (Author abstract modified)