Abusive Head Trauma/Shaken Baby Syndrome - An Investigator's Perspective

Course overview

Participants will receive information about the medical findings and the amount of force used to inflict injuries in cases of Shaken Baby Syndrome Abusive Head Trauma. They will also learn how to conduct a thorough investigation of these types of cases in a way that will often clearly identify the offender. Participants will be encouraged to use a multi-disciplinary approach with police, social workers, medical personnel, and prosecutors working together in order to carry out an effective investigation. A series of state-of-the-art animated graphics will be used to clearly illustrate the different injuries commonly found in Shaken Baby Syndrome/Abusive Head Trauma cases. These graphics will allow participants with little or no medical knowledge to understand the often-confusing medical terms associated with this type of child abuse. This presentation will focus on the joint law enforcement and child protection investigation of Shaken Baby Syndrome SBS cases. Two major obstacles facing investigators are identifying the perpetrator and confirming the actual mechanism and timing of the injury. This session will address both of these issues and present techniques that can be used to overcome these obstacles and conduct a successful investigation. In these types of cases, exculpatory statements by caregivers can often be as useful as inculpatory statements. Police investigators will learn how to conduct an initial interview of caregivers in order to get them tied to a particular story. We will explore some key questions that should be put to caregivers during their initial interview. These questions are non-accusatory and appear to be non-threatening to both the truly innocent caregiver and to the person who is responsible for injuring the child. These key questions, however, will enable the investigator to build a timeline and will often clearly identify the person who was responsible for abusing the child. Scene examination, gathering of corroborative evidence, liaison with medical and legal experts as well as interrogation of suspects will all be topics of discussion during this presentation.