A child's statements to a jury, a police officer, or a forensic interviewer can result in incarceration of an accused, loss of custody rights for a parent, or imposition of damages against a defendant. The Wisconsin Jury Instructions therefore make clear that the testimony of a minor witness should be given the same careful scrutiny as that of an adult. In reality, however, the testimony of minors often is given greater weight than that of adults, based on a lack of understanding that children can and do lie and also make mistakes in identifications, just as adults do. Children in the Courtroom addresses these concerns to help its audience of attorneys and judges understand the complexities in dealing with minors in the judicial process.

The book addresses proper forensic interviews of children, including the problems of leading and suggestive questions, limiting the danger of false and mistaken allegations, and dealing with a minor's vulernability to suggestion. The author discusses disctinctions between interview techniques, appropriate interview settings, and interviewer bias. The author shares and explains her recommendations, for example, that interviews be videotaped, given the results of studies that demonstrate the limited ability of an interviewer to recall responses verbatim. The author thoughtfully discusses the controversy surrounding the use of anatomically detailed dolls and provides a survey of recommended studies on the subject.

Current case law also is addressed, including the application of Crawford v. Washington, to the testimony of minor witnesses. The author explains some state court post-Crawford decisions dealing with the admissibility of out-of-court statements of minors. The conflict discussed in Maryland v. Craig between the Confrontation Clause right of the accused and the emotional availability of the complaining witness also is considered.

The author provides a balanced perspective that is useful for family law practitioners, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and judges. I recommend the book as a summary of this issue, although attorneys in the criminal justice system should view the book as a starting place to develop their understanding of child testimony.