RT Article
T1 Fourteen-year trends in the criminal justice response to child sexual abuse reports in New South Wales
JF Child maltreatment
VO 25
IS 1
SP 85
OP 95
A1 Cashmore, Judith
A2 Taylor, Alan
A2 Parkinson, Patrick 1958-
LA English
YR 2020
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1859433324
AB This study of attrition compares the prosecution of child sexual offenses reported while the complainant was still a child with those in which the report was delayed into adulthood; it also compares matters involving adult and young (under 18 years) suspects/defendants. It is based on an analysis of police and court administrative data in New South Wales, Australia over a 14-year period (2003?2016). Only one in five (21.6%) proceeded beyond the investigation stage. Criminal proceedings were more likely to commence when the alleged victim was 7?12 years old at the time of the incident, when the suspect was an adult and at least 10 years older than the victim, and also when the report to police was made when the victim was an adult. Just over half (55.5%) of the matters finalized in court resulted in a conviction. Cases in the higher courts were less likely to be dismissed and more likely to feature guilty pleas and convictions at trial than cases in the lower courts. The overall estimate is that only 12% of offenses reported to police resulted in a conviction, at a relatively stable rate over 14 years. These findings are consistent with those of comparable studies.
NO Literaturverzeichnis
K1 Child Sexual Abuse
K1 Child victims
K1 Criminal Justice
K1 Disclosure
K1 Investigation
DO 10.1177/1077559519853042