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Forty-three victims of sexual abuse averaging 9.78 years of age and 52 youths who admitted abusing them were interviewed about the abusive incidents. Forensically relevant details provided by the victims were categorised as confirmed, contradicted or ignored by the perpetrators. Most (66.6%) of the details were ignored, but details were more likely to be confirmed when they were elicited using invitations (open-ended free-recall prompts) rather than focused prompts. However, similar effects were not evident with respect to contradictions. The results support predictions that information elicited using free-recall prompts is more likely to be accurate than information elicited using focused prompts. Published in 2007 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.In the last 2 decades, researchers have repeatedly documented that information retrieved from memory using free-recall processes is more likely to be accurate than information retrieved using recognition processes, including yes/no and 'forced-choice' prompts. This fact has major implications when accuracy is very important such as in the course of forensic interviews. Young children, especially preschoolers, are more likely than older children to respond erroneously to suggestive questions about their experiences and to select erroneous options when responding to yes/no and forced-choice questions (Bruck, ProcedureAll alleged victims were interviewed by trained and experienced investigators using the NICHD Investigative Interview Protocol described and validated by Orbach et al.

To determine whether the introduction of evidence-based practice for interviewing child witnesses was accompanied by changes in the disposition of cases in which sexual abuse was suspected, we compared cases in which the investigative interviews of 3- to 14-year-old alleged victims were conducted either before (n = 350) or after (n = 410) investigators had been taught to use the NICHD Protocol. Analyses showed that when charges were filed, both pre-Protocol and Protocol interviews were highly (and similarly) likely to yield guilty pleas to one or more counts. However, charges were more likely to be filed when interviewers had been trained to use the Protocol; Protocol interviews were therefore associated with more guilty pleas than non-Protocol interviews. When cases were tried, furthermore, Protocol cases were more likely to yield guilty verdicts. These results point to important implications for policies concerning the investigation of suspected crimes involving young witnesses.

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