CJ 315 Project One Situations

Situation 1: Child Victim

You are a guidance counselor working at a midsized suburban elementary school in New Hampshire.
Seven-year-old Sarah was sent to your office after her teacher overheard Sarah telling one of her
classmates that her mother’s boyfriend, Steve, always gives her kisses on the lips and other places.
Sarah lives at home with her mother, Susan, and her siblings, Samantha (age 2), Sophia (age 9), and Seth
(6 months). The biological father of all the girls is incarcerated. Steve is the biological father of Seth.
Steve does not work and is the caregiver for the children when Susan is working. Sarah tells you that
Steve touches her private parts when her mother is at work. Sarah tells you that Steve told her it was a
secret and that if she were to tell anyone, he would hurt her mommy. Sarah does not know if Steve
touches anyone else, but her sister Sophia told her that Steve is a bad man.

Situation 2: Domestic Violence Victim

You are a patrol officer in a midsized, diverse city in New Hampshire with a population of nearly
250,000. You are dispatched to a domestic disturbance call located at 87 North Main Street, apartment
22, in your city. The location is a multifamily apartment building. When you arrive at the location, a
female who identifies herself as the caller meets you on the street. The female identifies herself as
Regina Cooper, the neighbor of Mary and Mark Malone. Regina tells you that Mark is intoxicated and is
fighting with Mary and that, because of all the screaming she heard, she thinks he is hitting Mary again.
While proceeding to apartment 22, you observe several holes in the wall in the stairwell as well as at the
top of the stairs that appear to have been made by some type of force rather than being cleanly cut.
Upon arriving at the door, you hear crying and yelling coming from inside the apartment. When you
knock on the door, a woman identifying herself as Mary opens the door. She has a fresh bruise on her
right eye, and you observe red marks on her neck. When you inquire about the location of Mark, Mary
reports that he ran into the bedroom and locked the door when he saw the police. Mary is hysterical
and tells you that this is not the first time Mark has become violent when intoxicated. Mary tells you
that she loves her husband. She tells you that she tries hard not to make Mark angry, because he was
recently placed on probation after he was convicted for beating a man with a bat in a bar fight. Mary
tells you that Mark cannot go to jail, because he pays all the bills and will kill her if she is the reason he
goes back to jail. Mary does not wish to pursue charges against her husband. You secure the scene and
remove Mary from the property. Because of Mary’s observed injuries, you place Mark under arrest for
domestic assault.