Children’s Perceptions of their Involvement in Judicial Child Protection, Family and Criminal Proceedings

Abstract

Abstract The present study synthesises published investigations into children’s involvement in the judicial child protection, family and, as victims and witnesses, in criminal proceedings, their perceptions and attitudes relative to their experience, and to each specific context in which they participated. Using the prisma Statement, we consulted five electronic databases (B-On, pbsc, asc, PsycInfo, and medline) to examine relevant studies (empirical, systematic reviews and meta-analyses), and we defined inclusion/exclusion criteria. We included 13 studies in the present review, published between 1992 and 2020 and carried out in different judicial contexts (criminal, protection, and family), to which we applied a methodological quality assessment instrument. From the main evidence of each study, we carried out an integrative synthesis. The findings identified children’s perceptions and attitudes towards the justice system, what they considered the most positive and the most negative aspects of their involvement, and the specificities of each judicial context. Implications for practice and further research were considered.