Citation

Kermani EJ. J. Am. Acad. Child Adolesc. Psychiatry 1991; 30(5): 839-841.

Affiliation

Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1991, American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry, Publisher Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

1938804

Abstract

In deciding seven recent landmark child abuse cases, the U.S. Supreme Court has addressed and sought to balance the inherent conflict between the constitutional rights of the defendant and the best interests of the child. In four of the cases, the Court found that the interests of the child superseded the rights of the defendant. In three cases, the Court gave more validity to the constitutional rights of the defendant. The author examines the lengthy nature of such legal proceedings and the reasoning forming the basis for the Supreme Court's decisions.

Language: en