Essay on Childrens Testimony - 2644 Words

Over the last thirty years, the idea of children as witnesses and the accuracy of their testimony has been widely debated. People are asking themselves if the memories of young children, specifically between the ages of five and ten, can be accurate and in return trusted. So, can children’s memory and testimony be accurate? Prolific amounts of research have been conducted in an attempt to answer this question. Most of the research suggests that unfortunately we can not rely on their accurate recall in testimony. I would have to say I agree with the findings. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The current anxiety about the validity of children’s testimony in court stems mostly from heavily publicized cases of child molestation during the 1980’s†¦show more content†¦Second, we must look at the affects of being a witness not only on the legal system but also on the child as an individual. Children could be further traumatized emotionally and physically by involvement as a witness. Finally, we need to closely look at how the legal system is set up and how well children fit into this system. Are witness procedures set up in a way that children can understand and accurately give their testimony? These are the things that need to be looked at closely to determine if children can be reliable and credible witnesses in court. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Because of the greater involvement of child witnesses in legal settings, it is important to know whether their recollections of an event can be trusted (Koriat et. al, 2001). This is a question that obviously can not be answered with a simple yes or no answer. However we can look at the way in which children develop cognitively to help us better understand the way in which children think and understand the world around them. We know that children are lacking in experience as compared to adults. A four year old just has much less life experience than a 16 year old. Younger children are not able to detect subtle differences like, implications and sarcasm in conversation. In addition, children being less cognitively developed have immature and less concrete schemas. These schemas may change constantly through your life, butShow MoreRelatedChildren s Testimony Of Judicial Proceedings Throughout The Past Years Decades2006 Words   |  9 PagesAbstract This research paper investigates children’s testimony in judicial proceedings throughout the past few decades. An increase in child abuse allegations in the 1980s resulted in mass allegations throughout the United States. As a result, a child is interviewed by law enforcement and social workers regarding what happened during specific incidents. Tactics to acquire the testimony of the children has been up for debate by the judicial system and psychologists. 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