Alleged Child Victims & Suggested Evidence of Abuse

by Brad Koffel

Last week I attended a two day national conference of
Criminal Defense lawyers who met in Savannah, GA to hear some of the nation’s leading experts
on the dangers of “suggested” evidence in alleged child victim
abuse cases. One of the speakers, a clinical psychologist, stated it is
very apparent to him (and many other child psychologists) when they meet
a child victim for the first time if that child is, in fact, a true victim
of a sex crime. He said, “it doesn’t take months and months of
‘goofy therapy’ to determine if a child has been a victim of a
sex crime”.

One of the leading cases that went to trial recently was of a kindergarten
teacher who was alleged to have had sexual conduct with a student. The
government’s witnesses included the teacher’s own daughter who
testified against her.

The defense team brought some of the leading research and experts in the
country to the trial in Georgia. The jury returned a “Not Guilty”
verdict despite the overwhelming testimony of the teacher’s daughter
and the therapist who “uncovered” the alleged
sex crimes.

The jury heard, from top to bottom, the junk science that lays behind many
therapists who suggest, prod, and cull false memories from vulnerable,
young minds. These therapists irreparably damage families, destroy the
lives of the alleged perpetrators, and ruin the lives of the little kids
who are alleged victims.

I will be the first in line to punish actual sex offenders who prey on
children. There is no legal form of punishment in America for these monsters.
However, in our zeal to protect kids at all costs, the goofy therapy of
suggesting false memories and converting non-victims into victims and
labeling the innocent guilty is nearly as bad.