Threshold Decisions in Determining Whether to Prosecute Child Sexual Abuse

该项目的目标是对警察和检察官就起诉儿童性侵犯作出决定的方式有新的了解，这些决定可被用来影响政策和实践。向警方报告的儿童性虐待案件很少诉诸法庭，但最近在新南威尔士州为皇家委员会进行的研究表明，在过去十年左右的时间里，这一比例急剧下降。该项目旨在审查警察和检察官如何决定哪些案件和为什么进行，他们如何相互协商，以及他们何时和如何与申诉人及其家人进行协商。该项目还计划为警察和检察官开发和测试实践工具和原则，为他们和所涉家庭带来预期的好处。

The objective of this project is new knowledge about the way police and prosecutors make decisions about the prosecution of child sexual assault that could be used to influence policy and practice. Few cases of child sexual abuse reported to the police ever go to court but recent research in New South Wales for the Royal Commission indicates that the proportion has declined sharply over the last decade or so. This project aims to examine how police and prosecutors decide which cases proceed and why, and how they confer with each other as well as when and how they consult with complainants and their families. This project plans to also develop and test practice tools and principles for police and prosecutors with expected benefits for both them and the families involved.