The aim of this paper is to identify some of the urgent issues currently confronting criminal
justice policymakers, researchers and practitioners. To this end a diverse group of …

Rape and sexual assault are unique crimes because they are mostly perpetrated against
female children, female adolescents and women. 1 In addition, both male and female victims …

Child sexual assault cases have one of the highest attrition rates throughout the justice
system, with jurors' perceptions of the credibility of the child playing a critical role in the …

This study investigated the knowledge and misconceptions of jury‐eligible citizens about
children's reliability as witnesses and responses to child sexual assault (CSA), and …

In the 1990s, the Working Party on Child Witnesses (a subcommittee of the Courts
Consultative Committee) reviewed the treatment of child witnesses in the New Zealand …

Despite the prevalence of sexual offending in our communities, there is a lack of
understanding about the nature and dynamics of sexual crimes. Myths and misconceptions …

The prosecution of charges of historical child sexual abuse routinely raises a range of
complex legal and evidentiary issues in criminal law. There is often legal argument about …

Researchers have established that rape myths shape perceptions of victims and
perpetrators in criminal cases. Researchers have devoted less attention to exploring the …

Studies on the influence of expert evidence and judicial instructions in child sexual abuse
(CSA) cases have produced mixed outcomes. Using repeated measures, we tested the …

Background Public knowledge of child stranger rape is shaped largely by media portrayals
of a small number of cases, often marked by sensational trials, which may result in juror …