Publication Cover
Journal of Sexual Aggression
An international, interdisciplinary forum for research, theory and practice
Volume 20, 2014 - Issue 3
1,148
Views
9
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Original Articles

Sentencing in child sexual assault cases: factors influencing judicial decision-making

, &

References

  • Achenbach, T. M., & Edelbrock, C. (1984). Psychopathology of childhood. Annual Review of Psychology, 35(1), 227–256. doi:10.1146/annurev.ps.35.020184.001303
  • Back, S., & Lips, H. M. (1998). Child sexual abuse: Victim age, victim gender, and observer gender as factors contributing to attributions of responsibility. Child Abuse and Neglect, 22(12), 1239–1252. doi:10.1016/S0145-2134(98)00098-2
  • Bala, N., Ramakrishnan, K., Lindsay, R., & Lee, K. (2005). Judicial assessment of the credibility of child witnesses. Alberta Law Review, 42(4), 995–1017. Retrieved from http://heinonline.org/HOL/Pagehandle=hein.journals/alblr42&div=43&g_sent=1&collection=journals
  • Bergeron, C. E., & McKelvie, S. J. (2004). Effects of defendant age on severity of punishment for different crimes. Journal of Social Psychology, 144(1), 75–90. doi:10.3200/SOCP.144.1.75-90
  • Bottoms, B. L., Davis, S. L., & Epstein, M. A. (2004). Effects of victim and defendant race on jurors' decisions in child sexual abuse cases. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 34(1), 1–33. doi:10.1111/j.1559-1816.2004.tb02535.x
  • Bottoms, B., Golding, J. M., Stevenson, M. C., Wiley, T. R. A., & Yozwiak, J. A. (2007). A review of factors affecting jurors' decisions in cases involving child sexual abuse allegations. In M. Toglia, J. D. Read, D.F. Ross, & C. L. Lindsay (Eds.), Handbook of eyewitness psychology: Volume 1: Memory for events, Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
  • Bottoms, B. L., & Goodman, G. S. (1994). Perceptions of children's credibility in sexual assault cases. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 24(8), 702–732. doi:10.1111/j.1559-1816.1994.tb00608.x
  • Brewer, K. D., Rowe, D. M., & Brewer, D. D. (1997). Factors related to prosecution of child sexual abuse cases. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, 6(1), 91–111. doi:10.1300/J070v06n01_07
  • Broussard, S. D., & Wagner, W. G. (1988). Child sexual abuse: Who is to blame? Child Abuse and Neglect, 12(4), 563–569. doi:10.1016/0145-2134(88)90073-7
  • Child Protection and Care. (2000). Child sexual abuse: Understanding and responding. Melbourne: Victorian Government Department of Human Services.
  • Connolly, D. A., Price, H. L., & Gordon, H. M. (2009). Judging the credibility of historic child sexual abuse complainants. Psychology, Public Policy and Law, 15(2), 102–123. doi:10.1037/a0015339
  • Crimes Act. (1958). ( Vic)
  • Davies, M., & Rogers, P. (2006). Perceptions of male victims in depicted sexual assaults: A review of the literature. Aggression and Violent Behaviour, 11(4), 367–377. doi:10.1016/j.avb.2006.01.002
  • Davies, M., & Rogers, P. (2009). Perceptions of blame and credibility toward victims of childhood sexual abuse: Differences across victim age, victim-perpetrator relationship and respondent gender in a depicted case. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, 18(1), 78–92. doi:10.1080/10538710802584668
  • DPP v Ellis. (2005). VSCA 105 (Austl).
  • Draper, B., Pfaff, J., Pirkis, J., Snowdon, J., Lautenschlager, N., Wilson, I., & Almeida, O. P. (2007). Long-term effects of childhood abuse on the quality of life and health of older people: Results from the depression and early prevention of suicide in general practice project. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 56(2), 262–271. doi:10.1111/j.1532-5415.2007.01537.x
  • Dube, S. R., Anda, R. F., Whitfield, C. L., Brown, D. W., Felitti, V. J., Dong, M., & Giles, W. H. (2005). Long-term consequences of childhood sexual abuse by gender of victim. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 28(5), 430–438. doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2005.01.015
  • Faller, K., Birdsall, W. C., Vandervort, F., & Henry, J. (2006). Can the punishment fit the crime when suspects confess child sexual abuse? Child Abuse and Neglect, 30(7), 815–827. doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2005.12.009
  • Fisher, G. (2011). Sentencing severity for ‘serious’ and ‘significant' offences: A statistical report. Melbourne: Sentencing Advisory Council.
  • Fox, R., & Freiberg, A. (1999). Sentencing: State and federal law in Victoria (2nd ed). South Melbourne: Oxford University Press.
  • Freyd, J. J., Putnam, F. W., Lyon, T. D., Becker-Blease, K. A., Cheit, R. E., Siegel, N. B., & Pezdek, K. (2005). The science of child sexual abuse. Science, 308, 501. doi:10.1126/science.1108066
  • Golding, J. M., Fryman, H. M., Marsil, D. F., & Yozwiak, J. A. (2003). Big girls don't cry: The effect of child witness demeanour on juror decisions in a child sexual abuse trial. Child Abuse and Neglect, 27(11), 1311–1321. doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2003.03.001
  • Golding, J. M., Sanchez, R. P., & Sego, S. A. (1999). Age factors affecting the believability of repressed memories of child sexual assault. Law and Human Behaviour, 23(2), 257–268. doi:10.1023/A:1022329119988
  • Goodman, G. S., Pyle Taub, E., Jones, D. P. H., England, P., Port, L. K., Rudy, L., & Prado, L. (1992). Testifying in criminal court: Emotional effects on child sexual assault victims. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 57(5), Serial No. 229 doi:10.2307/1166127
  • Goodman-Delahunty, J., Cossins, A., & O'Brien, K. (2010). Enhancing the credibility of complainants in child sexual assault trials: The effect of expert evidence and judicial directions. Behavioural Sciences and the Law, 28(6), 769–783. doi:10.1002/bsl.936
  • Griffith, J. D., Libkuman, T. M., Kazen, J., & Shafir, Z. (1999). Repressed memories in the courtroom: Trial characteristics affecting mock jurors' decision making. American Journal of Forensic Psychology, 17, 5–24.
  • Hibbard, R. A., & Hartman, G. L. (1992). Behavioural problems in alleged sexual abuse victims. Child Abuse and Neglect, 16(5), 755–762. doi:10.1016/0145-2134(92)90112-5
  • Judicial College of Victoria. (2012). Victorian sentencing manual. Retrieved from http://www.judicialcollege.vic.edu.au/publications/victorian-sentencing-manual
  • Kaufmann, G., Drevland, G. C. B., Wessel, E., Overskeid, G., & Magnussen, S. (2003). The importance of being earnest: Displayed emotions and witness credibility. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 17(1), 21–34. doi:10.1002/acp.842
  • Kendall-Tackett, K. A., Williams, L. M., & Finkelhor, D. (1993). Impact of sexual abuse on children: A review and synthesis of recent empirical studies. Psychological Bulletin, 113(1), 164–180. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.113.1.164
  • Lau, M., & Kristensen, E. (2007). Outcome of systemic and analytic group psychotherapy for adult women with history of intrafamilial childhood sexual abuse: A randomized controlled study. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 116(2), 96–104. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0447.2006.00977.x
  • Lewis, T. E., Klettke, B., & Day, A. ( in press). The influence of medical and behavioural evidence on conviction rates in cases of child sexual abuse. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse.
  • McCormick, J. S., Maric, A., Seto, M. C., & Barbaree, H. E. (1998). Relationship to victim predicts sentence length in sexual assault cases. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 13(3), 413–420. doi:10.1177/088626098013003007
  • Mellott, R. N., Wagner, W. G., & Broussard, S. D. (1997). India vs. United States undergraduates' attitudes concerning child sexual abuse: The impact of survivor sex, survivor age, survivor response, respondent sex, and country of origin. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 21(3), 305–318. doi:10.1016/S0147-1767(97)00003-5
  • Mueller-Johnson, K. U., & Dhami, M. P. (2010). Effects of offenders' age and health on sentencing decisions. The Journal of Social Psychology, 150(1), 77–97. doi:10.1080/00224540903365315
  • Paolucci, E., Genuis, M. L., & Violato, C. (2001). A meta-analysis of the published research on the effects of child sexual abuse. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 14(2), 351–368. doi:10.1023/A:1011173103684
  • Patrick, S., & Marsh, R. (2011). Sentencing outcomes of convicted child sex offenders. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, 20(1), 94–108. doi:10.1080/10538712.2011.541356
  • Pozzulo, J. D., Dempsey, J. L., & Crescini, C. (2010). Factors affecting juror decisions in a case of historic child sexual abuse involving continuous memories. Criminal Justice and Behaviour, 37(9), 951–964. doi:10.1177/0093854810373587
  • Read, J. D., Connolly, D. A., & Welsh, A. (2006). An archival analysis of actual cases of historic child sexual abuse: A comparison of jury and bench trials. Law and Human Behaviour, 30(3), 259–285. doi:10.1007/s10979-006-9010-7
  • Regan, P. C., & Baker, S. J. (1998). The impact of child witness demeanour on perceived credibility and trial outcome in sexual abuse cases. Journal of Family Violence, 13(2), 187–195. doi:10.1023/A:1022845724226
  • Rogers, P., Josey, N., & Davies, M. (2007). Victim age, attractiveness and abuse history as factors in the perception of a hypothetical child sexual abuse case. Journal of Sexual Aggression, 13(2), 121–137. doi:10.1080/13552600701644835
  • Rogers, P., Titterington, L., & Davies, M. (2009). Attributions of blame and credibility in a hypothetical child sexual abuse case: Roles of victim disability, victim resistance and respondent gender. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 56(3), 205–228. doi:10.1080/10349120903102189
  • R v. Butler (1971). 109 VR 892 (Austl).
  • R v Cleary (2004). VSCA 14 (Austl).
  • Sentencing Act. (1991). s. 5 (Vic) (Austl).
  • Spila, B., Makara, M., Kozak, G., & Urbanska, A. (2008). Abuse in childhood and mental disorder in adult life. Child Abuse Review, 17(2), 133–138. doi:10.1002/car.1022
  • Steffensmeier, D., & Allan, E. (1995). Gender, age and crime. In J. Sheley (Ed.), Handbook of criminology (pp. 83–114). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
  • Ullman, S. E., & Brecklin, L. R. (2003). Sexual assault history and health related outcomes in a national sample of women. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 27(1), 46–57. doi:10.1111/1471-6402.t01-2-00006
  • Wilson, H. W., & Widom, C. S. (2008). An examination of risky sexual behaviour and HIV in victims of child abuse and neglect: A 30-year follow up. Health Psychology, 27(2), 149–158. doi:10.1037/0278-6133.27.2.149
  • Zajac, R., & Hayne, H. (2003). I don't think that's what really happened: The effect of cross-examination on the accuracy of children's reports. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 9(3), 187–195. doi:10.1037/1076-898X.9.3.187

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.