Tell Me Everything: A Case Study on A Multidisciplinary Approach to Child Sex Abuse Cases

Multidisciplinary teams often focus on a case during the investigation portion until a charging decision is made, at which point the focus gives way to individual members working separately throughout the rest of the case. We can obtain better results for victims when MDTs continue to work together from the initial call through the full legal process. This presentation will discuss the importance of continued teamwork through the lens of a case study in State of Alaska v. John Hammonds. John Hammonds was an elementary and middle school teacher and pastor in a rural village in Alaska, who sexually abused two students and groomed several others. His case involved prior acts across two different states, 14 child forensic interviews across three child advocacy centers, and years of continued investigation addressing physical, digital, and medical evidence. Much like the forensic interviewing prompt ‘tell me everything from beginning to middle to end’, we will discuss collaborations at all stages of the case, what worked well, what didn’t work and lessons learned on what could be improved.