Unequal justice

The number of allegations concerning sexual abuse of children continues to rise, but there has been little concrete, systematic information about the legal consequences. Who is sent to criminal court for sexually abusing children? What happens to the cases once they are there? On what basis are jurors making their decisions in these cases? Are they swayed by experts who give information about abused children and their typical behaviors? How reliable is the medical evidence? How do technological advances such as videotaped testimony affect the outcome of a trial? Drawing on the findings of the first national study on child sexual abuse and the courts, Ellen Gray renders the most complete portrait to date of how our criminal justice system deals with child sexual abuse cases. As her research shows, there are some shocking inequities and inconsistencies. For example, female victims are funneled into the system at very different rates than their male counterparts.^ There is also considerable age discrimination; teenage victims fare far worse in the courts than do younger children. Minority defendants are more likely to be convicted. In addition, there is little consistency in how diffe