Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book covers history of juvenile justice system and specific experiences of sitting as a juvenile court judge. It covers substantial, extant literature that has accumulated about children's memory and language skills, especially as these affect children's ability to testify. The chapter reviews research on trauma and psychopathology, reviews how trauma impacts children's abilities to accurately recall and testify about events, and explores interventions to help child victims testify in legal proceedings. It focuses on child sexual abuse in a range of venues. The chapter presents views of how children are dealt with in a more global sense. It provides an overview of issues to consider and points reader to more in-depth resources. The chapter provides detailed assessment information and are good examples of how findings from evaluations can be useful to the court for addressing the psych-legal questions in front of court.