title: How long to prosecute child sexual abuse for a community using a Children's Advocacy Center and two comparison communities?
abstract: This article explores the length of time between key events in the criminal prosecution of child sexual abuse cases (charging decision, case resolution process, and total case-processing time), which previous research suggests is related to victims' recovery. The sample included 160 cases in three communities served by the Dallas County District Attorney. Most cases (69%) took at least 60 days for the charging decision, with cases investigated at the Children's Advocacy Center having a quicker time than either comparison community. Only 20% of cases had a case resolution time within the 180-day target suggested by the American Bar Association standard for felonies. Controlling for case characteristics, one of the three communities and cases with an initial arrest had a significantly quicker case resolution time. Total case processing generally took more than 2 years. Implications include the need to better monitor and shorten case resolution time.
authors.affiliation: Crimes against Children Research Center, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824, USA. wendy.walsh@unh.edu
authors.forename: Wendy A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Walsh
authors.forename: Tonya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lippert
authors.forename: Theodore P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Cross
authors.forename: Danielle M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Maurice
authors.forename: Karen S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Davison
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D002651:Child Advocacy / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019058:Community Networks / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D003416:Criminal Law / Q000592:standards*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013781:Texas; D013997:Time Factors