A child in judicial proceedings may act as a witness or victim of a crime. In such situations, their participation in the hearing is inevitable. Minors taking part in this trial can count on special treatment.
This is mainly due to the early stage of the development of the child and the not fully developed psychophysical properties. For his sake, during the proper hearing, there may be an expert in psychology. The following are the goals set before such a specialist.
The primary task put before a psychologist is to assess the credibility of the witness' testimony. They are based on judgments in court, so they cannot be considered uncritically true
Expert psychologist during preliminaries
It's up to a minor to prepare for questioning how it goes to testify. During such a meeting with an expert psychologist, the child receives a set of information about the interrogation procedure. His rights and duties are presented to him in detail. The witness shall also be informed of who will attend the later hearing.
An expert appointed in court proceedings usually also performs with a child a number of tasks aimed at improving concentration of attention. These actions aim to reduce the stress of the witness during the proper hearing and to get the child to give a precise statement.
It should be stressed that the expert psychologist cannot correct the witness’s thinking, improve the style of his speech, and talk to him about the subject of conduct.
Further expert tasks
The primary task put before a psychologist is to assess the credibility of the witness' testimony. They are based on decisions in court, so they cannot be considered uncritically true. The expert shall, when talking to a minor, determine his or her ability to perceive and remember certain situations.
It verifies the relationship between the witness and other people, including those involved in criminal deception. An expert forensic psychologist checks whether the child is susceptible to suggestions from others and whether he can be accompanied by strong loyalty to the perpetrator.
It also makes sure that a minor witness tends to fantasize and lie. The expert in carrying out his activities takes care of the child. It is therefore also responsible for assessing the mental state of the minor after trauma suffered.
Determines whether the child is able to participate in the subsequent steps without being exposed to secondary victimisation.