Conducting Forensic Interviews on Children
             When children are victims or witnesses to crime, they need to be interviewed. The best way to get the most accurate information about what happened is through a forensic interview. Forensic interviews gather the most information from the child in a non-leading, non-suggestive format. They are conducted after a child has made a disclosure of sexual abuse, been a witness to a violent crime, or evidence of physical abuse is present. These interviews can be conducted on pre-school children, school aged children, and adolescents by trained forensic interviewers.
             The forensic interview has many segments that are all equally important. Each part benefits the interview in a different way. The setting and the type of preparation needed for the interview may vary widely from state to state and interviewer to interviewer. The interviewers question format may also vary, but the basic structure of the forensic interviews are the same. Debriefing the parent or guardian about the content of the interview is the last step in the interview process.
             The setting for the forensic interview is essential. The interview should be performed in a neutral building that is child friendly. Currently most states have child advocacy centers that utilize a multidisciplinary approach to child victims. Advocacy centers provide a neutral safe environment and have been developed in various locations by public entities and private corporations. These centers house doctors, nurses, forensic interviewers, and therapists to assist the child and their family. Corporations such as Childhelp USA have turned office buildings into advocacy centers with a playroom, interview rooms, and medical examination rooms (Childhelp). In Kingman, Arizona Sarah's house was an abandoned house, which was donated and turned into an advocacy center (Sarah's House). These neutral settings are usually staffed by dedicated empl...