U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

Portable Guides to

Investigating Child Abuse

Battered Child

Syndrome:

Investigating

Physical Abuse

and Homicide
Original Printing August 1996

Second Printing July 1997

Third Printing March 2000

Fourth Printing December 2002

NCJ 161406

Foreword

Battered child syndrome is a tragic and disturbing phenomenon.

Unfortunately, it is a crime that is often successfully hidden

by its perpetrators. Law enforcement has an important role

to play in uncovering cases of battered child syndrome and

gathering evidence for their successful prosecution.

This guide contains practical information on the circumstances

that point to the willful rather than the accidental injury or death

of an infant or child and the specific evidence required to prove

it. It places special emphasis on obtaining an expert medical

examination, immediately documenting the injuries through

photographs, and collecting and preserving physical evidence.

The guide also shows investigators how their interviews with

caretakers, family members, neighbors, school personnel, and

others can shed light on the treatment the child has received

over time and produce witnesses who can corroborate or refute

suspected abuse.

Many jurisdictions are beginning to develop training programs to

help police investigate this crime more effectively. This guide

is an important contribution to this end and will aid child

protection personnel and others in a position to identify,

investigate, and prosecute cases of battered child syndrome.
1

nvestigators should have a working knowledge

of battered child syndrome and what it means

to an investigation. Battered child syndrome

is defined as the collection of injuries sustained

by a child as a result of repeated

mistreatment or beating. If

a child’s injuries indicate

intentional trauma or

appear to be more

severe than could

reasonably be expected

to result from an

accident, battered

child syndrome should

be suspected. In such cases,

an investigator must do more

than collect information about the currently reported

injury. A full investigation requires interviewing

possible witnesses about other injuries that the child

may have suffered, obtaining the caretakers’ explanation

for those injuries, and assessing the conclusions of

medical personnel who may have seen the victim before.

The issue of whether information on the victim’s prior

injuries or medical conditions will be admissible at

a trial should be left to the prosecutor. However, an

investigator’s failure to collect such information leaves

the prosecutor without one of the most important pieces

of corroborative evidence for proving an intentional

act of child abuse. Evidence of past inflicted injuries

also may be the only information available to help the

prosecutor distinguish between two or more possible

perpetrators in the current case, and may help refute

claims by the child’s parents or caretakers that injuries

suggestive of physical abuse were caused by an accident.

I
2

Critical Steps in

Investigating Battered

Child Syndrome

Investigators confronted with a case of

possible child abuse or child homicide must

overcome the unfortunately frequent societal attitude that

babies are less important than adult victims of homicide and

that natural parents would never intentionally harm their

own children. When battered child syndrome is suspected,

investigators should always:

✹ Collect information about the “acute” injury that led the person

or agency to make the report.

✹ Conduct interviews with the medical personnel who are attending

the child.

✹ Review medical records from a doctor, clinic, or hospital.

✹ Interview all persons who had access to or custody of the child

during the time in which the injury or injuries allegedly occurred.

Always interview the caretakers separately—joint interviews

can only hurt the investigation.

✹ Consider any statements the caretakers made to anyone concerning

what happened to the child who required medical attention.

✹ Conduct a thorough investigation of the scene where the child

was allegedly hurt.

Interviews With Medical Personnel

The investigator must contact all medical personnel who had

contact with the family, such as doctors, nurses, admitting

personnel, emergency medical technicians (EMT’s), ambulance

drivers, and emergency room personnel:

✹ Talk with those who provided treatment for the child about what

diagnoses and treatments were used. The attending physician will

often be able to express at least an opinion that the caretakers’

explanation did not “fit” the severity of the injury. Failure to

obtain an opinion from the attending physician should not end

the investigation.

✹ Speak with any specialists who assisted the attending physician.

✹ Have someone knowledgeable about medical terms translate them

into laypersons’ terms so that the exact nature of the injuries is clear.
3

✹ Obtain available medical records concerning the injured child’s

treatment, including records of any prior treatment. Note: If only

one caretaker is suspected of abuse, the nonabusive caretaker

may need to sign a release of the records. If both are suspected,

most States have provisions that override normal confidentiality

rules in the search for evidence of child abuse. Procedures for

obtaining these records must be confirmed in each State.

✹ Interview the child’s pediatrician about the child’s general health

since birth and look for a pattern of suspected abusive injuries.

It is absolutely vital that photographs of the child be taken as

soon as possible after the child has been brought to the treatment

facility. Most clinics and hospitals have established procedures

for photographing injuries in obvious cases of abuse, but

when the injuries are more subtle, they may overlook the need

for photographs. The investigator should make sure that the

medical personnel take and preserve photographs or that the

investigating team takes them.

In a child homicide investigation, an autopsy must be performed.

Most States mandate that such autopsies be performed when

the death of any child under a certain age is undetermined or

suspicious. In States without such a statutory mandate, the

medical examiner or local prosecutor often has the authority

to order an autopsy. This authority should be used whenever

there is an unexplained death of a child.

Other Important Sources of Information

✹ Interview siblings, other relatives, neighbors, family friends,

teachers, church associates, and others who may know about the

child’s health and history. People who surround the child and are

part of his or her life are sometimes overlooked as sources of

background information for a child abuse or homicide prosecution.

✹ Review EMT records or 911 dispatch tapes. These records are

frequently overlooked and can be a valuable source of information.

Families with more than one emergency may in fact be abusing

children and may not just be hit by a long streak of “bad luck.”

✹ Once the family history is obtained, request any police reports

that may be held by law enforcement agencies in the jurisdiction

where the family lives. Also check the child welfare agency’s files

on the family.
4

✹ Collect additional family history concerning connections between

domestic violence and child abuse, substance abuse and child

abuse, and other such connections, even apparently unrelated

arrests or charges. These records may be helpful in piecing

together the complicated picture of what happened to the child

this time and who was responsible.

Consultation With Experts

Identifying experts is as important to the child abuse investigator

as identifying and cultivating street informants in other types

of investigations. If the investigator does not have a basic

knowledge of the causes of young children’s injuries, experts

may be difficult to identify. Attending training conferences can

provide the investigator with a great deal of basic knowledge

and help establish a network of experts.

Interviews With Caretakers

A major trait of abusive caretakers is either the complete lack

of an explanation for critical injuries or explanations that do not

account for the severity of injuries. The investigation must not

be dictated solely by caretakers’ early explanations, because

once they learn those do not match the medical evidence, they

will come up with new ones.

In child homicide cases, for example, investigators will learn

quickly about “killer couches,” “killer stairs,” and “killer cribs.”

Abusers frequently use these items in their explanations of a

child’s death. However, studies show that children do not die

in falls from simple household heights; they do not even suffer

severe head injuries from such falls.

In nearly every case of actual abuse, the caretakers will not

be consistent in their explanations of the injuries over time.

Sometimes the changes are apparent from statements abusers

have made to others. Additional interviews may be needed

to document the changing explanations and to follow up on

additional information that the investigation uncovers.

Crime Scene Investigation

Caretakers’ changes in explanations often mean investigators

must visit the home or the scene of the injury more than once.

The ideal time to obtain such evidence is immediately after the
5

Investigator’s Checklist for

Interviewing Caretakers

Investigators should ask the following questions to ensure

a thorough interview with the caretakers.

❑ When did the caretakers first notice the child was ill or

injured, and what exactly did they observe? What do

they believe caused the illness or injury?

❑ Who was with the child at the time of the injury or

when the child first appeared ill? (Cover as much time

as possible up to 3 to 5 days.)

❑ What was the child’s apparent health and activity level

for the same period up to the time of the illness? Exactly

how did the symptoms develop?

❑ What is the child’s health history since birth?

❑ Has the child been hospitalized or treated for prior

injuries or illnesses? If so, what treatment was needed

or what caused those injuries?

❑ Which caretaker normally disciplines the child, and

what form of discipline is used?

❑ What is the health of other children in the family?

❑ Who is the family doctor or the child’s pediatrician?

❑ Does the child attend school or day care? Who is the

child’s teacher (or teachers)?

❑ Has the child shown any recent behavioral changes

that are otherwise unexplained?

❑ If the nature of the current injuries is known, how do

the caretakers explain what caused such injuries? If no

explanation is given, were there times when the child

was unsupervised or in the company of others?

❑ What is the child’s developmental level? (Children

who can barely crawl around cannot injure themselves

by falling from a two-story building.)
6

child’s injury is reported, before caretakers have an opportunity

to tamper with the scene.

If the caretakers do not consent to a search of the scene, a

search warrant may be necessary. The strongest evidence of the

need for such a warrant will be the medical evidence of what

probably happened to the child and the caretakers’ inconsistent

or absent accounts of the events.

Whatever explanation caretakers offer for the child’s injury or

injuries, it is vital that the investigator secure physical evidence.

Be thorough in obtaining photographic evidence of the location

where the injury took place. Physical evidence and records that

must be preserved include:

✹ The crib from which the child allegedly fell.

✹ The child’s “environment,” including bedding within the bed or

crib and other beds in the home.

✹ Any toys or objects the child allegedly landed upon.

✹ In cases where the child was apparently burned, a record of

any sinks, bathtubs, and pots or pans containing water. In

addition to testing the temperature of the standing water, test

the temperature of water from the water heater and from each

tap. Check the temperature setting of the water heater. This may

help disprove an allegation that the child accidentally turned

on the hot water. Other sources of heat in the home should be

documented, regardless of the caretakers’ initial explanation

of what burned the child.

✹ A complete photographic or videotaped record of the home

or other location in which the injuries allegedly occurred. Focus

on areas that the caretakers already have identified as the site of

the particular trauma (i.e., stairs, beds or crib, or bathtub).

Investigators should be trained by their local crime laboratory

personnel on the types of evidence that can and should be

processed and preserved in these cases:

✹ If the child apparently suffered cigarette burns, collecting

cigarette butts found in the home may facilitate analysis of the

burn patterns.

✹ If the case involves a combination of sexual and physical abuse,

collecting the child’s clothing and bedding may allow identification

of what happened and who was involved.

✹ If the child shows evidence of bite marks, saliva swabbing should

be done to allow positive identification of the biter.
7

✹ If the child has suffered a depressed skull fracture, any objects

the approximate size of the fracture should be seized for appropriate

analysis.

Investigative Guidelines for Child

Homicides

It is not always readily apparent that a child’s death was the

result of homicide. In some cases, homicide is evident:

✹ It is fairly obvious that the child’s death was caused by an abusive

injury.

✹ The person who had custody of the child at the time the abusive

injury was inflicted is known. Most infant deaths occur when the

baby is in the care of known individuals.

✹ The injuries themselves are obviously the result of a deliberate

intent to do harm—that is, there is really no debate that someone

abused the child and that the abuse caused the child to die. Such

cases include strangulation, beating, severe inflicted burns, such

as scalding, and the use of a weapon.

Unfortunately, the more careful and planned out the killing is,

the less likely it is that a medical explanation for the death will

be found. Most fatal injuries resulting from abuse are much

more subtle than poisoning, beating, bludgeoning, shooting, or

strangulation. Suffocation, for example, often leaves absolutely

no medical sign of the cause of death. Most infant deaths are

related to head injuries, some of which leave no external sign

of trauma.

In case after case of suspicious deaths of children, the caretakers’

explanation is: “She fell off the couch (chair, changing table,

or bed, or down the stairs).” Investigators must be aware that

children do not die of simple falls. When investigating whether

a child’s death was a homicide, investigators must ask themselves

the following questions:

✹ How do we find out what actually did happen to the child?

✹ How do we make sure we are talking to the right expert about

what could have caused the child’s death?

✹ How do we know we have talked to everyone who might be able

to shed light on a difficult case?
8

When presented with a child who has died under suspicious

circumstances in which there is no obvious sign of abuse,

investigators should ask an experienced pediatrician to help

locate a specialist whose medical expertise can help make

sense of a confusing picture. However, everyone who handles

child fatalities must have a basic understanding of the

following conditions:

✹ Shaken baby syndrome.

✹ Munchausen syndrome by proxy.

✹ Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

Shaken Baby Syndrome

The classic medical symptoms associated with infant shaking are:

✹ Retinal hemorrhage (bleeding in the back of the eyeball), often

bilaterally (in both eyes).

✹ Subdural or subarachnoid hematomas (intracranial bleeding,

most often in the upper hemispheres of the brain, caused by the

shearing of the blood vessels between the brain and the dura

mater or the arachnoid membrane).

✹ Absence of other external signs of abuse (e.g., bruises), although

not always.

✹ Symptoms including breathing difficulties, seizures, dilated

pupils, lethargy, and unconsciousness.

According to all credible studies in the past several years, retinal

hemorrhage in infants is, for all practical purposes, conclusive

evidence of shaken baby syndrome in the absence of a good

explanation. Good explanations for retinal hemorrhage include:

✹ A severe auto accident in which the baby’s head either impacted

something with severe force or was thrown about wildly without

restraint during the crash.

✹ A fall from several stories onto a hard surface, in which case

there are usually other signs of trauma, such as skull fractures,

swelling, intracranial collection of blood, and contusions.

Simple household falls, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR),

and tossing a baby in the air in play are not good explanations

for retinal hemorrhage. There simply is not enough force involved

in minor falls and play activities to cause retinal hemorrhage

or the kinds of severe, life-threatening injuries seen in infants

who have been shaken.
9

In most cases of shaken baby syndrome, there are no skull

fractures and no external signs of trauma. The typical explanation

given by the caretakers is that the baby was “fine” and then

suddenly went into respiratory arrest or began having seizures.

Both of these conditions are common symptoms of shaken baby

syndrome.

The shaking necessary to cause death or severe intracranial

injury is never an unintentional or nonabusive action. These

injuries are caused by a violent, sustained action in which the

infant’s head, which lacks muscular control, is violently whipped

forward and backward, hitting the chest and shoulders. The

action occurs right in front of the shaker’s eyes. Experts say

that an observer watching the shaking would describe it as “as

hard as the shaker was humanly capable of shaking the baby”

or “hard enough that it appeared the baby’s head would come

off.” In almost every case, the baby begins to show symptoms

such as seizures or unconsciousness within minutes of the injury

being inflicted. The baby may have difficulty in breathing, or

breathing may stop completely. Often, but not always, when

shaking causes death or severe injuries, it has been followed

by sudden deceleration of the action caused by throwing the

child down onto a surface that may be either soft or hard.

Shaken baby syndrome occurs primarily in children 18 months

of age or younger. It is most often associated with infants less

than a year old, because their necks lack muscle control and

their heads are heavier than the rest of their bodies. An infant

cannot resist the shaking, but a toddler can, to some extent.

Although the collection of injuries associated with shaken baby

syndrome is sometimes seen in toddlers, it is rare and is always

a sign of extremely violent and severe action against the child.

Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy

Munchausen syndrome is a psychological disorder in which the

patient fabricates the symptoms of disease or injury in order to

undergo medical tests, hospitalization, or even medical or surgical

treatment. To command medical attention, patients with

Munchausen syndrome may intentionally injure themselves or

induce illness in themselves. In cases of Munchausen syndrome

by proxy, a parent or caretaker suffering from Munchausen

syndrome attempts to bring medical attention to themselves
10

by injuring or inducing illness in their children. The parent

then may try to resuscitate the child or to have paramedics or

hospital personnel save the child. The following scenarios are

common occurrences in these cases:

✹ The child’s caretaker repeatedly brings the child for medical care

or calls paramedics for alleged problems that cannot be medically

documented.

✹ The child only experiences “seizures” or “respiratory arrest” when

the caretaker is there—never in the presence of neutral third

parties or in the hospital.

✹ When the child is hospitalized, the caretaker turns off the lifesupport equipment, causing the child to stop breathing, and then

turns everything back on and summons help.

✹ The caretaker induces illness by introducing a mild irritant or

poison into the child’s body.

Investigative guidelines in suspected cases of

Munchausen syndrome by proxy

✹ Consult with all experts possible, including psychologists.

✹ Exhaust every possible explanation of the cause of the child’s

illness or death.

✹ Find out who had exclusive control over the child when the

symptoms of the illness began or at the time of the child’s death.

✹ Find out if there is a history of abusive conduct toward this child.

✹ Find out if the nature of the child’s illness or injury allows medical

professionals to express an opinion that the child’s illness or death

was neither accidental nor the result of a natural cause or disease.

✹ In cases of hospitalization, utilize covert video surveillance to

monitor the suspect. Some cases have been solved in this way.

✹ Determine whether the caretaker had any medical training or

a history of seeking medical treatment needlessly. Munchausen

syndrome by proxy is often a multigenerational condition.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is not a positive finding;

rather, it is a diagnosis made when there is no other medical

explanation for the abrupt death of an apparently healthy

infant. When a baby dies from shaking, intracranial injury,
11

peritonitis (inflammation of the peritoneum, that is, the membrane

that lines the abdominal cavity), apparent suffocation, or any

other identifiable cause, SIDS is not even considered a possibility.

SIDS rarely occurs in infants older than 7 months and almost

never is an appropriate finding for a child older than 12 months.

A SIDS death is not a homicide, and apparent SIDS cases

must be approached with great sensitivity. However, before

SIDS can be ruled the cause of death, the investigator must

ensure that every other possible medical explanation has been

explored and that there is no evidence of any other natural or

accidental cause for the child’s death.

An investigator’s suspicions should be aroused when multiple

alleged SIDS deaths have occurred under the custody of the

same caretaker. Statistically, the occurrence of two or three

alleged SIDS deaths in the care of the same person strongly

suggests that some degree of child abuse is involved. Whenever

there is evidence that the child who has died was abused, or

that other children in the family have been abused, SIDS is

not an appropriate finding.

Even when there is no affirmative medical finding of the cause

of death, prosecution may still be possible. In some circumstances,

experts can explain what occurs when a child is suffocated

and can render a medical opinion that suffocation is one of the

ways someone could cause the child’s death without leaving

obvious medical signs.

Conclusion

Both the medical and legal professions have made great strides

in identifying nonaccidental trauma inflicted on children. This

progress accounts for what appears to be an increase in the

number of identified child abuse homicides. Sadly, however, there

will always be some children who die of abuse that is never

discovered. Children and society deserve investigators’ best

efforts to turn over every stone in cases involving any suspicion

of the abuse of children.
12

Author

Rob Parrish

Chief Child Abuse Counsel

Office of the Attorney General

160 East 300 South, Sixth Floor

Salt Lake City, UT 84114

801–366–0510

801–366–0204 (fax)

Supplemental Reading

Child Fatalities

Anderson TL, Wells SJ. Data Collection for Child Fatalities:

Existing Efforts and Proposed Guidelines. Chicago, IL: American

Bar Association, 1991.

Combs DL, Parrish RG, Ing R. Death Investigation in the United

States and Canada, 1995. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of

Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers

for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for

Environmental Health, Division of Environmental Hazards

and Health Effects, August 1995.

Current Trends in Child Abuse Reporting and Fatalities: The Results

of the 1995 Annual Fifty State Survey. Chicago, IL: National

Committee for Prevention of Child Abuse, April 1996.

Granik LA, Durfee M, Wells SJ. Child Death Review Teams:

A Manual for Design and Implementation. Chicago, IL: American

Bar Association, 1991.

Kaplan SR. Child Fatality Legislation in the United States. Chicago,

IL: American Bar Association, 1991.

Kaplan SR, Granik LA (eds). Child Fatality Investigative

Procedures Manual. Chicago, IL: American Bar Association, 1991.

Shepherd JR, Dworin B, Farley RH, Russ BJ, Tressler PW,

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Child Abuse and Exploitation: Investigative Techniques. 2d ed.

Washington, DC: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency

Prevention, 1995.
13

U.S. Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect. A Nation’s

Shame: Fatal Child Abuse and Neglect in the United States. Washington,

DC: U.S. Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect, April

1995.

Child Fatality Laws

The following statutory publications are available from the

National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information,

800–FYI–3366, 703–385–7565. Each contains State and territory

laws on the given topic.

Child Abuse and Neglect Crimes: Child Homicide.

Child Death Review Teams/Mandatory Autopsies.

Reporting Suspicious Deaths.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

National Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Clearinghouse.

Death Investigations and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome: A Selected

Annotated Bibliography. U.S. Department of Health and Human

Services, Public Health Service, Health Resources and

Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau,

September 1991.

National Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Clearinghouse.

The Professional’s Role in Sudden Infant Death Syndrome: A Selected

Annotated Bibliography. U.S. Department of Health and Human

Services, Public Health Service, Health Resources and

Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau,

September 1991.

National Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Resource Center.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Research: A Selected Annotated

Bibliography for 1993. McLean, VA: U.S. Department of Health

and Human Services, Public Health Service, Health Resources

and Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health

Bureau, May 1994.

National Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Resource Center.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Risk Factors: A Selected Annotated

Bibliography for 1989–1993. McLean, VA: U.S. Department of

Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Health

Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and Child

Health Bureau, May 1994.
14

National Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Resource Center.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome: Trying To Understand the Mystery.

McLean, VA: U.S. Department of Health and Human

Services, Public Health Service, Health Resources and

Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau,

February 1994.

National Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Resource Center.

What is SIDS? (Information Sheet). McLean, VA: U.S.

Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health

Service, Health Resources and Services Administration,

Maternal and Child Health Bureau, May 1993.

Willinger M, James LS, Catz C. Defining the sudden infant

death syndrome (SIDS): Deliberations of an expert panel

convened by the National Institute of Child Health and Human

Development. Pediatric Pathology 11:677–684, 1991.

Death Certification and National Death

Statistics

The following three references are available from the National

Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), Division of Vital

Statistics, Registration Methods Branch, 301–436–8815.

General information on mortality statistics is available from

NCHS, Division of Vital Statistics, Mortality Statistics

Branch, 301–436–8884.

Funeral Directors’ Handbook on Death Registration and Fetal Death

Reporting. Hyattsville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and

Human Services, Public Health Service, National Center for

Health Statistics, September 1987. (DHHS Publication No.

(PHS) 87–1109).

Medical Examiners’ and Coroners’ Handbook on Death Registration

and Fetal Death Reporting. Hyattsville, MD: U.S. Department

of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, National

Center for Health Statistics, October 1987. (DHHS Publication

No. (PHS) 87–1110).

Physicians’ Handbook on Medical Certification of Death. Hyattsville,

MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,

Public Health Service, National Center for Health Statistics,

September 1987. (DHHS Publication No. (PHS) 87–1108).
15

Organizations

American Academy of Pediatrics

141 Northwest Point Boulevard

Elk Grove Village, IL 60007–1098

847–434–4000

847–434–8000 (fax)

www.aap.org

The American Academy of Pediatrics publishes the following resources for

professionals who come in contact with abused children: The Visual Diagnosis of

Child Physical Abuse, a study guide and teaching slides that provide medical

information about identification of physical child abuse and neglect; A Guide

to References and Resources in Child Abuse and Neglect, a comprehensive manual

on the medical diagnosis and treatment of child abuse and neglect; and

Visual Diagnosis of Child Abuse on CD-ROM.

Missing and Exploited Children’s Training Programs

Fox Valley Technical College

Criminal Justice Grants Department

P.O. Box 2277

1825 North Bluemound Drive

Appleton, WI 54913–2277

800–648–4966

920–735–4757 (fax)

dept.fvtc.edu/ojjdp

Participants are trained in child abuse and exploitation investigative

techniques, covering the following areas:

✹ Recognition of signs of abuse.

✹ Collection and preservation of evidence.

✹ Preparation of cases for prosecution.

✹ Techniques for interviewing victims and offenders.

✹ Liability issues.

Fox Valley also offers intensive special training for local child investigative

teams. Teams must include representatives from law enforcement, prosecution,

social services, and (optionally) the medical field. Participants take part in

hands-on team activity involving:

✹ Development of interagency processes and protocols for enhanced

enforcement, prevention, and intervention in child abuse cases.

✹ Case preparation and prosecution.

✹ Development of the team’s own interagency implementation plan for

improved investigation of child abuse.
16

Other Titles in This Series

Currently there are 12 other Portable Guides to Investigating

Child Abuse. To obtain a copy of any of the guides listed below

(in order of publication), contact the Office of Juvenile Justice

and Delinquency Prevention’s Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse

by telephone at 800–638–8736 or e-mail at puborder@ncjrs.org.

Recognizing When a Child’s Injury or Illness Is Caused by Abuse,

NCJ 160938

Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Child Sexual Abuse, NCJ 160940

Photodocumentation in the Investigation of Child Abuse, NCJ 160939

Diagnostic Imaging of Child Abuse, NCJ 161235

Interviewing Child Witnesses and Victims of Sexual Abuse,

NCJ 161623

Child Neglect and Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy, NCJ 161841

Criminal Investigation of Child Sexual Abuse, NCJ 162426

Burn Injuries in Child Abuse, NCJ 162424

Law Enforcement Response to Child Abuse, NCJ 162425

Understanding and Investigating Child Sexual Exploitation,

NCJ 162427

Forming a Multidisciplinary Team To Investigate Child Abuse,

NCJ 170020

Use of Computers in the Sexual Exploitation of Children,

NCJ 170021

National Center for Prosecution of Child Abuse

American Prosecutors Research Institute (APRI)

99 Canal Center Plaza, Suite 510

Alexandria, VA 22314

703–549–9222

703–836–3195 (fax)

www.ndaa-apri.org/apri/programs/ncpca/index.html

The National Center for Prosecution of Child Abuse is a nonprofit and

technical assistance affiliate of APRI. In addition to research and technical

assistance, the Center provides extensive training on the investigation and

prosecution of child abuse and child deaths. The national trainings include

timely information presented by a variety of professionals experienced in

the medical, legal, and investigative aspects of child abuse.
Additional Resources

American Bar Association

(ABA) Center on Children

and the Law

Washington, DC

202–662–1720

www.abanet.org/child/

home.html

American Humane Association

Englewood, Colorado

800–227–4645

303–792–9900

www.americanhumane.org

American Medical Association

(AMA)

Chicago, Illinois

312–464–5000

www.ama-assn.org

American Professional Society

on the Abuse of Children

(APSAC)

Oklahoma City, OK

405–271–8202

www.apsac.org

Federal Bureau of Investigation

(FBI)

202–324–3000

www.fbi.gov

National Center for the

Analysis of Violent Crime

www.fbi.gov/hq/isd/cirg/

ncavc.htm

Crimes Against Children

Program

www.fbi.gov/hq/cid/cac/

crimesmain.htm

Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse

(JJC)

Rockville, Maryland

800–638–8736

ojjdp.ncjrs.org/about/

clearh.html

Kempe Children’s Center

Denver, Colorado

303–864–5252

www.kempecenter.org

Missing and Exploited

Children’s Training Program

Fox Valley Technical College

Appleton, Wisconsin

800–648–4966

dept.fvtc.edu/ojjdp

National Association of

Medical Examiners

St. Louis, Missouri

314–577–8298

www.thename.org

National Center for Missing

and Exploited Children

(NCMEC)

Alexandria, Virginia

800–THE–LOST

703–274–3900

www.missingkids.com

National Center for Prosecution

of Child Abuse

Alexandria, Virginia

703–549–9222

www.ndaa-apri.org/apri/

programs/ncpca/index.html

National Children’s Alliance

Washington, DC

800–239–9950

202–452–6001

www.nncac.org

National Clearinghouse

on Child Abuse and

Neglect Information

Washington, DC

800–394–3366

703–385–7565

www.calib.com/nccanch/

National SIDS Resource Center

Vienna, Virginia

703–821–8955

www.sidscenter.org

Prevent Child Abuse America

Chicago, Illinois

312–663–3520

www.preventchildabuse.org
U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

Washington, D.C. 20531

Official Business

Penalty for Private Use $300

*NCJ~161406*

PRESORTED STANDARD

POSTAGE & FEES PAID

DOJ/OJJDP

PERMIT NO. G–91