[Credibility and further psychological problems of young children as witnesses in criminal justice procedures: a case study].

A pair of 3 1/2-year-old twins who had possibly witnessed their mother's murder were examined by a child psychiatrist and a child psychologist as part of a judicial inquiry. The procedure developed specially for this purpose, the actual course of the investigation and the evaluation of the findings with regard to psychological aspects of evidence are discussed. The theoretical part of the study deals with the current state of knowledge and the problems relating to evidence given by young children as witnesses. The main emphasis is on general and specific credibility, identification of people associated with the crime, suggestibility and probabilities related to guessing, perceptual and memory performance, and minimization of emotional sequelae in children who are witnesses to violent crimes. The authors conclude that preschool children can be reliable witnesses in preliminary hearings and court proceedings.