Forensic Interviews
A forensic interview is a neutral, developmentally and culturally appropriate conversation with a child intended to elicit detailed information about a possible event(s) that the child may have experienced or witnessed. The purposes of a forensic interview are:
1. To obtain information from a child that may be helpful in a criminal investigation;
2. To assess the safety of the child;
3. To obtain information for law enforcement and child protective services to use to either support or refute allegations of child maltreatment;
4. To assess the medical and mental health needs of the child.
A forensic interview is conducted at the Georgia Center when there has been a report to law enforcement or the Department of Family and Children’s Services (DFCS) that the child may have been a victim of physical or sexual abuse or when a child may have witnessed a violent crime.
At times, an extended forensic interview may be needed to accommodate a child’s developmental or emotional needs. An extended forensic interview is a multi-session structured interview. It may be recommended when a single forensic interview was not adequate to fully assess the concerns related to the child’s safety or a criminal investigation.
Forensic interviews at the Georgia Center are conducted by our forensic interviewers who have had at least 40 hours of specialized training on how to properly question children. The forensic interviewers routinely participate in monthly peer review meetings to continually develop their skills.
All forensic interviews at the Georgia Center are digitally recorded.
