Child Sexual Abuse Cases and False Memories Psychology Essay
This is because the key issue in these cases is whether children's statements reflect authentic experience or whether such stories are contaminated by suggestive influences and memory errors, that is, false memories. Such child sexual abuse proceedings include a select group of cases in which a large number of children report, COMMENTARY, FORENSIC PRACTICE. All allegations of child sexual abuse must be taken seriously. Data shows that the vast majority of allegations made by children are legitimate and true. In certain situations and circumstances, a child may lie and make up false accusations of abuse. This phenomenon is the most commonly seen. In recent years, the concept of false memories has been hijacked to cast doubt on the accuracy of memories of sexual abuse. The misuse of the false memory theory leads to further accusations from victims. Following the high-profile cases of false memories that have dominated courtrooms in recent decades, accusations of implanted memories have become a common strategy used by lawyers. , of men reported serious forms of sexual abuse in childhood. State child protection authorities, which concerned sexual abuse in childhood, the last year for which figures are available. A survey by the Centers for Disease Control of Kaiser network members, generally well-educated and middle-class, found that the percentage of men,