Abstract
Children’s testimonies about abusive experiences can play a pivotal role in the criminal justice system. This is especially the case when other types of evidence (such as videos, technical traces) are absent. In such cases, it is imperative that children’s testimonies accurately reflect what they have experienced. In the current article, the reliability of children’s statements is discussed. We discuss what children can remember of traumatic incidents and elaborate on how children’s false memories can be relatively easily evoked. Furthermore, we discuss how children can best be interviewed using scientifically supported interview protocols. Children’s testimonies can be decisive in legal decision-making. Hence, it is of the utmost importance that these statements are reliable.
Translated title of the contribution | The reliability of children’s testimonies |
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Original language | Dutch |
Pages (from-to) | 233–248 |
Journal | Pedagogiek: Wetenschappelijk forum voor opvoeding, onderwijs en vorming |
Volume | 40 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Nov 2020 |
Keywords
- Children, false memory, trauma, memory