Starting the New Year, child advocacy centers in Illinois will no longer need to obtain consent from parents to record forensic interviews of potential child victims, according to a new state law. Further, if a recording of the interview is not initiated—for whatever reason—that does not make the interview inadmissible in court.
Forensic interviews are the cornerstone of child abuse investigations, with child and youth advocacy centers playing a highly valuable role in the process, including supplying forensic interview specialists. When interviewing children, specialists use techniques to gather accurate and extensive memory recall about events experience or witnessed, while limiting the impact of trauma on the child.
In fact, advocates say the new law will help limit trauma as a recording of the interview will reduce the number of times a child needs to tell their story, including in court—an environment much less nurturing than a child advocacy center.
The bill also provides that a forensic interview, electronic recording, or transcription of an interview or electronic recording can only be viewed by a court, attorneys, investigators, or experts for the purpose of judicial and administrative hearings. Further, the bill exempts these electronic recordings and transcriptions from all Freedom of Information Act requests.
There are currently 37 child advocacy centers in Illinois.