ABSTRACT
This chapter examines criminal decision making for cases involving child sexual abuse. Two country prosecutors' offices are studied and compared regarding: office's official position on the criminalization of child sexual abuse, the office's policy for handling abuse cases, the means by which the cases are processed through the criminal court, and the dispositional consequences for the cases. New legislation that directs the criminal-justice system's response is accompanied in many jurisdictions by alterations in policies and practices for the processing of domestic-and family-violence cases. The prosecutor works with police and various agents of the criminal court, such as judges, defense attorneys, victims, witnesses, and jurors. The prosecutor plays a pivotal role in transforming legislation or public sentiment into action within the criminal-justice system. The legislation left to the discretion of the individual district attorneys whether criminal charges and prosecution were appropriate.
