Training Overview
Investigators and other practitioners advised to conduct minimal facts interviewing are often told to limit themselves to who, what, when, and where. But how? Children are notoriously poor at estimating dates, which means that “when” can pose difficulties. Worse, it can lead to estimates of dating that will lead to inconsistencies and impeachment of the child’s story. Furthermore, children are reluctant to describe genital touch, and often ill-equipped to specify the nature of the touch. Again, mistakes in eliciting the early report can easily lead to problems for the case down the road. Based on research in child interviewing and developmental psychology, I’ll discuss how practitioners can avoid these pitfalls and conduct productive minimal facts interviews.
About the Trainer
Thomas D. Lyon’s goal is to identify the most productive means of questioning children about abuse and violence. He is the Judge Edward J. and Ruey L. Guirado Chair in Law and Psychology at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law. Lyon is past-president of the American Psychological Association’s Section on Child Maltreatment (Division 37) and a former member of the Board of Directors of the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children. His work has been supported by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the United States Department of Justice, the California Office of Emergency Services, the National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect, the California Endowment, and the Haynes Foundation.
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