CRJ 630 Protection of Children in the Justice System
This course addresses the multidisciplinary team approach to the investigation of crimes committed against children through the collaborative efforts of police, child protection social workers, prosecutors, judges, child advocates, medical professionals, and child therapists. The use of child advocacy centers as a multidisciplinary approach is examined. This course focuses on the challenges involved in the investigation of crimes against children, including child physical abuse, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, and neglect. The range of crimes involves both intra-familial and extra-familial abuse. The course examines the human dynamics of these crimes against children, including offenders, child victims, family members, and people responsible for protecting children while in their care. This study of multidisciplinary approaches to child protection addresses the difficulties in the investigation process, including interviewing children and offenders, documenting the abuse, identifying the abuser, medical examinations, discovering forensic evidence, social services involvement, and prosecution.