ABSTRACT Child abuse is a significant public health and social issue affecting over 600,000 children annually in the United States. Children's advocacy centres (CACs) play a crucial role in supporting law enforcement by providing resources and enhancing the investigative process. However, investigating child abuse cases remains complex and time‐intensive, with limited research examining the law enforcement investigation process. This study seeks to address this gap by analysing the average processing time for physical and sexual child abuse cases compared to non‐child abuse cases. Additionally, it examines how law enforcement allocates time across investigative stages and whether factors, such as CAC size and the colocation of law enforcement within CACs, influence investigation duration. The findings aim to enhance understanding of law enforcement's involvement in child abuse investigations and inform policies and practices that improve investigative efficiency and outcomes for child victims.
Bowen et al. (Thu,) studied this question.