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THE
CHILDREN
Click
to learn more about the Ross children
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According
to experts, the explantion for how the Ross children
first came up with these false allegations may have
a lot to do with the conduct of investigators and
social workers. Dr.
John Yuille, a professor of forensic psychiatry,
says there is increasing evidence that children
can be induced to admit to false allegations of
abuse if they are asked leading questions during
the interview process.
In
an interview with the fifth estate Yuille states,
"In cases like this, I think there are several
things at work. One is often the investigators show
more interest to these more bizarre allegations,
and the children are responding to that increased
alertness, increased interest on the part of the
interviewer. And if, in effect, the child is being
rewarded for these more fantastic elements, they'll
add more of those."
Professor John Yuille tells
the fifth estate the Ross children were interviewed
improperly. |
To
help authorities evaluate sexual abuse allegations
Dr. Yuille has developed a standardized interview
process for children called the Step Wise Program.
The
interview is designed to reduce the trauma a child
may experience during an interview, increase the
amount and quality of information obtained from
a child and maintain the integrity of the investigative
process.
The
program involves asking children open-ended questions
without suggestive details. It has already been
adopted by many child welfare agencies across Canada.
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