Where should juveniles under the age of 13 be interviewed, especially when the juvenile is the victim of a violent offense?

• A. Center for Child Protection
• B. Police Station
• C. Family Court
• D. Juvenile Detention Center

Answer: (A)

Interviews of young victims should happen in a setting designed to protect the child and gather information safely. A Center for Child Protection (often a child advocacy center) provides this environment: a child-friendly space, a trained interviewer using developmentally appropriate, evidence-based methods, and a multidisciplinary team that includes law enforcement, child protective services, medical and mental health professionals, and legal staff. This setup minimizes additional trauma, avoids multiple interviews, and helps ensure the information collected is reliable and can be used effectively in the investigation and any forthcoming proceedings.

Other locations are not ideal for initial interviews: a police station can be intimidating for a young child and may increase distress or affect responses; Family Court is focused on legal decisions rather than the initial, protective interview of a victim; and a Juvenile Detention Center is a secure facility intended for confinement, not for conducting interviews with victims.