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This article proposes a clinical typology for false allegations of sexual abuse by children and adolescents, drawing on literature and the authors’ clinical experience. It describes allegations associated with custody disputes, psychological disturbance, conscious manipulation, and iatrogenic influences, and discusses case examples and limits in evaluating such claims.
Principe and London review research on how conversations between parents and children can shape children’s memories before formal forensic interviews. They explain how parental questions, suggestions, and shared retellings may influence children’s accounts and discuss implications for interviewing and evaluating young witnesses.
This State Bar of Arizona handout examines testimony about children’s responses and behavior in child sexual abuse cases. It surveys issues including disclosure timing, changing accounts, continued contact, interviewing practices, possible confounds, confirmation bias, and research relevant to evaluating competing explanations.
This 2006 prosecution guide discusses expert testimony offered to explain behavior in domestic-violence and sexual-assault cases, such as delayed reporting, recantation, or continued contact with an alleged offender. It describes possible uses and limits of such testimony, stresses that admissibility depends on the jurisdiction and facts, and addresses considerations when a victim is not cooperating with prosecution.
This 1996 National Institute of Justice report presents case studies in which post-conviction DNA testing helped establish innocence and examines how those cases unfolded. The authors discuss investigative and trial factors, laboratory testing and evidence preservation, as well as limits of DNA interpretation in cases with multiple possible contributors, and consider policy implications for the justice system.
These pages reproduce portions of a 1996 United States Department of Justice report examining DNA testing in cases involving convicted defendants. They describe recurring features of the cases and summarize a survey of crime laboratories, including reported rates of inconclusive results and tests that excluded suspects, while noting evidence-handling concerns and limits on interpreting the figures.
This dissertation analyzes disclosure patterns and interview narratives from 20 children whose sexual abuse was corroborated, examining gender differences, reasons for delayed disclosure, and narrative detail and structure. The author reports sample-specific differences and discusses methodological limits, including the small sample and limits on generalizing the findings.
This United States Department of Justice bulletin consolidates guidance on conducting forensic interviews with children in alleged abuse cases. It discusses interview purpose, preparation, rapport, open-ended questions, interview stages, and team coordination, while emphasizing that children’s accounts and needs differ and that repeated or overly focused questioning can create problems.
This multisite study evaluates an extended forensic assessment model for children whose suspected-abuse cases may need more than one interview, using data from 147 participants across 12 states. The authors report credible disclosures in 44.5% of cases, abuse-unlikely findings in 19%, and unresolved outcomes in 36%, so the study does not identify all non-disclosures as false allegations.
This study examines whether a potential guardian’s presence is associated with the severity of child sexual abuse, using crime-event data from incarcerated adult offenders in Queensland, Australia. Its regression analyses found associations with shorter sexual contact and lower odds of penetration, and the authors discuss guardianship as a possible protective factor.
