Portwood S G, Grady M T, Dutton S E
Department of Psychology, University of Missouri-Kansas City, 64110-2499, USA.
Child Abuse Negl. 2000 Feb;24(2):195-207. doi: 10.1016/s0145-2134(99)00135-0.
Data from two independent studies is presented, representing the investigators' ongoing work with faculty from a state criminal justice academy to analyze existing knowledge and skill levels among veteran law enforcement officers and recruits, as well as to enhance future training.
Through an anonymous questionnaire, the first of these studies examined officers' perceptions of maltreatment, including those factors that do and do not influence a determination of whether a particular act constitutes child maltreatment and assessments of whether particular acts constitute abuse or neglect. The second study also utilized an anonymous questionnaire to examine officers' knowledge of the developmental strengths and limitations of children relative to their ability to provide accurate information in suspected cases of child maltreatment.
As hypothesized, several gaps both in law enforcement officers' knowledge of certain characteristics that can serve to denote a case of maltreatment and their knowledge of fundamental developmental issues and interview techniques that could assist them in the performance of their professional duties are identified.
Suggestions for enhanced law enforcement training programs are presented and discussed.
展示两项独立研究的数据，这些数据代表了研究人员与一所州刑事司法学院的教员正在进行的合作，旨在分析在职执法人员和新招募人员现有的知识和技能水平，并改进未来的培训。
在第一项研究中，通过一份匿名调查问卷，研究人员调查了警官对虐待行为的看法，包括那些会影响或不会影响判定某一特定行为是否构成虐待儿童的因素，以及对特定行为是否构成虐待或忽视的评估。第二项研究同样使用匿名调查问卷，来考察警官对于儿童发育优势和局限性的了解，以及他们在疑似虐待儿童案件中提供准确信息的能力。
正如所假设的那样，研究发现执法人员在某些可用于认定虐待案件的特征知识方面，以及在基本发育问题和有助于履行其职业职责的访谈技巧知识方面，均存在若干差距。
提出并讨论了加强执法培训项目的建议。
