Roger Williams Law Symposium: Child Witnesses in Sexual Abuse Cases

Roger Williams University Law School, 10 Metacom Ave, Bristol, RI | Get Directions »
$75.00

How believable are children when they accuse someone of sexually abusing them? Can we tell when children are truthful, lying, or relating false memories implanted by adults? If a child has difficulty testifying eye-to-eye with an alleged abuser in open court, should the court allow the child to testify from the judge’s chambers by closed-circuit TV or permit adults – such as doctors, social workers, teachers, police – to testify about what the child told them? How are public opinion and the judicial system affected by media coverage of such cases? These are subjects of passionate controversy. This symposium brings together leading researchers in the field – from law, psychology, public policy, and communications – for what promises to be a lively and important discussion.

Symposium Participants:
Nicholas C. Bala, Professor, Law Faculty, Queens University, Canada
Ross A. Cheit, Professor of Political Science and Public Policy, Brown University
Jennifer J. Freyd, Professor of Psychology, University of Oregon
Gail Goodman, Professor of Psychology, University of California-Davis
Steven Gorelick, Professor of Media Studies, Hunter College, CCNY
Thomas D. Lyon, Professor of Law and Psychology, University of Southern California
Wendy J. Murphy, Adjunct Professor, New England Law School and author of And Justice for Some
Debra Poole, Professor of Psychology, Central Michigan University
Symposium Organizer & Moderator Carl T. Bogus, Professor of Law, RWU Law