Blog
TWICE WOUNDED Part 2 of the Twice Wounded Series Why Retraumatization Happens
In part two of this series, we examined what happens to children who testify about sexual abuse, including nightmares, behavioral changes, and long-lasting harm. Now, we must ask why. Why does a process designed to deliver justice often cause more harm? The answer lies in two places: inside the child’s brain and within the structure of the legal system. When these two areas interact, the damage is not accidental; it’s built in.
TWICE WOUNDED
What really happens to children who testify about sexual abuse?
and what the research says we must do differently
This piece examines that evidence in three parts: what retraumatization in the courtroom looks like and what it costs; why it happens, from the neuroscience of traumatic memory to the structural features of adversarial legal proceedings; and what we already know how to do differently because the research that documents the problem also clearly points toward solutions.
The evidence is clear, but the real question is whether we are willing to act on it.
Grooming and Prevention: It Takes More Than Telling Kids to “Speak Up”
Grooming can be defined by examining it through three social-ecological levels: micro, meso, and macro. Each level can either make grooming easier or much more difficult.
Digital Media and Child Sexual Abuse: Foe, Friend, or an Unfinished Fight?
Our Social Science Director, Dr. Suruchi Sood, Outlines the Facts of CSAM
Then and Now…
By Brian O’Leary “Ex-Saugerties High wrestling coach charged with 18 counts of rape.” I woke up the other day with a text from a friend who highlighted an article in the local newspaper which had the above headline. The school had hired a 30-year-old man to teach...
When Justice Is Denied: How Maryland’s Charitable Immunity Law Blocks Survivors of Clergy Abuse
Marci A. Hamilton, Founder & CVO, CHILD USARobert K. Jenner, Jenner Law, P.C. On July 21, 2025, a Maryland court ruled that an adult survivor of horrific childhood sexual abuse at the hands of a Catholic priest could not sue the Archdiocese of Washington, DC. The...
AND THE BEAT GOES ON in the Catholic ARCHDIOCESE OF SAN FRANCISCO
By Tim Stier The Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco is in the midst of federal bankruptcy negotiations with over five hundred alleged sexual abuse victims. A primary motivation of Archbishop Cordileone for choosing bankruptcy over civil trials is to hide the...
Maine Supreme Court Blocks Justice for Survivors, Strikes Down Revival Window
In 2021, the Maine State Legislature passed a landmark law creating a permanent revival window for previously expired child sex abuse (CSA), child sexual abuse material (CSAM), and trafficking claims. This law removed procedural barriers that had long prevented...
Landmark Rulings in North Carolina and Maryland Affirm Access to Justice for Survivors
Last week, I wrote about the deeply disappointing decision from the Maine Supreme Court striking down the state’s revival window for child sex abuse (CSA) claims. Since then, the Arkansas Court of Appeals also ruled that their 2021 revival window could not be applied...
Watching the Clock in California
Leslie C. Griffin* Do you remember Roman Polanski? Polanski, now 91 years old, is a famous movie director and actor, known, especially, for directing the films Rosemary’s Baby and Chinatown. He left the United States for France in 1978, after he pled guilty to having...
Settling Sex Abuse Cases Against Catholic California Clergymen
Leslie C. Griffin* Roman Polanski is a famous movie director and actor, known for directing the films Rosemary’s Baby and Chinatown. He left the United States for France in 1978, after he pled guilty to having sex with a 13-year-old girl, Samantha Geimer. He worried...
Has Maine Fought Catholic Sex Abuse?
by Leslie C. Griffin* I am waiting for the Maine Supreme Court to decide a case about sexual abuse and the statute of limitations [SOL].1 Statutes of limitations are rules that explain when the courts are open or closed to victims of abuse. I am particularly...