Research reveals misconceptions about survivor accounts
Research conducted as part of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sex Abuse aims to help police interview survivors.
The research report, Empirical Guidance on the Effects of Child Sexual Abuse on Memory and Complainant’s Evidence, outlines research findings that “common sense” beliefs about memory, frequently held by police, lawyers, judges, juries and laypeople, did not correspond with scientific knowledge about memory.
Some misconceptions about memory include:
Inconsistencies or gaps in a person’s memory may indicate inaccuracy
The display of emotion while giving evidence may be an indication of the level of accuracy in a person’s account
A witness recalling additional information over time being considered potentially suspicious
It’s also hoped the research will help guide jurors who are assessing a complainant’s evidence.
Royal Commission chief executive officer Philip Reed said the research and its accompanying standalone summary of guidance on memory in cases of child sexual abuse was intended to contribute to the development of guidance for lawyers, magistrates, judges, juries and police.
“This research may help contribute to the education of police and the legal profession on what child victims of sexual abuse can be expected to remember,” Mr Reed said.
