Livingston- On Friday December 2, 2011, Assistant District Attorneys David Guidry, Matt Belser, and Mike Forbes, led a two-hour training session on sex abuse investigations at the Department of Children & Family Services (DCFS) in Livingston, LA, said District Attorney Scott M. Perrilloux.
Members from Child Advocacy Services (CAC), the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office, and DCFS investigators and caseworkers were in attendance at the training.
“The idea is to bring the various agencies together, and put our heads together to try and improve investigations for these types of cases,” said Belser.
At the training, prosecutors discussed necessary components in building a strong case, emphasizing the need for including details about victims and their families and the high burden of proof that prosecutors have in criminal cases.
“We are always looking for ways to make law enforcement and the District Attorney’s office more effective,” said Perrilloux, “Combining the efforts of various organizations will help develop more thorough and stronger case files, and improve our ability to successfully prosecute offenders.”
Guidry explained that sex abuse cases are difficult to prosecute, and are very hard emotionally on victims. “It can be a difficult burden,” said Forbes. Having all the necessary items can affect the ultimate outcome of the trial, the prosecutors said.
Guidry explained that in Livingston parish there are five felony prosecutors to handle thousands of felony cases per year, and at most, there can only be 32 jury trials per year. In addition, sexual assault cases tend to take the longest for prosecutors to screen and make a charging decision due to their complexity, said Belser.
Files should have all information including: interview videos, family history, relationships, addresses, who the victims live with, who else was in the house at the time of the incident, and any additional circumstances, such as divorce or custody battles. It is also very important to prosecutors to build a timeline; they need to know where everyone involved with the victim was at the time of the incident. To this end, “CAC interviews are very important, indispensable tools,” Guidry said. The District Attorney’s office counts on investigators to help build a strong case.
Victims of sexual abuse are often children. In cases like this, to spare the child further emotional trauma, the District Attorney’s Office hopes to build strong enough cases to create pleas.
Other topics discussed were circumstances of disclosure, first outcry, interview goals, and jury selection, said Perrilloux.