Frank E. Vandervort

What Makes Sex Offenders Confess? An Exploratory Study.

ABSTRACT This study examines correlates of offender confession in criminal sexual conduct cases involving children. The cases consist of all closed court files (N = 318), spanning the last 10 years from a single jurisdiction. This jurisdiction has a community-wide protocol for handling child sexual abuse cases, a high rate of charging (69%), a high rate of confession (64%), and high rates of pleas to sex crimes (77%). To determine what factors were associated with suspect confession before adjudication, we examined characteristics of the suspect, the child, the abuse, and the system using bi-variate and multi-variate analysis. The following four variables are associated with suspect confession: (1) having the state police conducting the law enforcement part of the investigation, (2) more serious abuse, (3) younger age of the suspect, and (4) having a court appointed (as opposed to a retained) attorney.

Invited Commentary on "Issues in Differential Response".

Ronald Hughes and his colleagues have written a groundbreaking article on child welfare’s use of differential response. Their research addresses the matter from a “lessons learned” and “ways to improve” approach. Our comments focused on three key issues: (1) the importance of evidence-based practice; (2) the recognition that no one practice modality can be a cure-all for child protection; and (3) the necessity of better quality training for child welfare professionals. We believe the value of this article goes beyond theoretical and ideological discussion, but should be used to promote and support research-informed knowledge in policy and practice.

Protecting Child Witnesses on the Witness Stand: The Law and the Role of the Forensic Social Worker in Criminal Proceedings

Forensic social workers are frequently called upon to testify regarding the use of protective measures for children who must testify about child abuse. The basic legal requirements for the use of witness protections were established 20 years ago, but recent years have seen important developments in this body of law. This article reviews the legal requirements for the use of child witness protections, including those recent developments, and provides guidance to forensic social workers in engaging in this work.

Legal Rights of Fetuses and Young Children

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the legal rights of fetuses and young children, who have been exposed to drugs and alcohol. The precise impact of prenatal exposure to alcohol and illicit drugs on the developing fetus is unclear and may depend on a multiplicity of factors, such as the substance used, the timing of that use during the pregnancy, prenatal medical care, and other environmental factors such as maternal poverty, whether the mother has a social support network, and the presence of domestic violence in the home. Some substances, such as alcohol, appear to have clear negative effects on the development of the fetus, including impairment of cognitive functioning, poor academic performance, and behavioral problems, and may be a contributing factor to juvenile delinquency. Similarly, in utero exposure to cocaine has been associated with decreased blood flow in the childs brain in adolescence, as measured by functional MRI scans. Numerous state courts have addressed efforts by state child welfare authorities to protect the fetuses of substance-abusing women by taking temporary custody of the fetus under state laws, that allow courts to take temporary custody of children who they find are abused or neglected. Some courts have squarely held that under their child protection statutes prenatal exposure to drugs or alcohol is in and of itself sufficient to make a case that a child is maltreated. Other courts have held that a combination of prenatal exposure and environmental factors, such as the parents continued use of substances, failure to enroll in substance abuse treatment, or associating with drug dealers, is sufficient to support juvenile court action to protect the child.