Staffing Complex MDT Cases: Mason County MDT Presents Suspected Torture
Session Description: Mason County Safe and Sound MDT presents an MDT discussion of a complicated abuse case. Torture is defined as a strategic or systematic means of causing serious harm and/or limiting, controlling, and repressing basic human rights of individuals by an authority figure. Parents in this could claim they are providing necessary medical, common nutritional, and/or disciplinary needs to children, while the children describe being food deprived and harmed. The Mason County MDT demonstrates how this case would be processed from initial report, law enforcement and CPS investigation, forensic interview, medical assessment, charging and prosecution, advocacy and mental health treatment decisions. Dr. Gilbert, Medical Director of the Providence Abuse Intervention Center in Lacey, WA will discuss the definition of child torture as it pertains to the case we review, based on the most recent literature. She will quote the statistics of the parent’s involvement, control, alienation and isolation of the child victims, the involvement of the other family members and other children in the ongoing torture and starvation, and both the short- and long-term effects of this type of child abuse. Law enforcement, CPS, and forensic interviewer will discuss how information is gathered and how the team works together to obtain evidence required to build a strong legal case. Mason County Prosecutor Mike Dorcy will discuss legal standards that apply to the prosecution of these complicated cases, and the family advocate and mental health provider will describe how the victims and their caregivers are supported through the process. The MDT facilitator will demonstrate strategies in maintaining an open and balanced investigation and considering alternative hypotheses during the staffing and investigation process. The MDT team will also demonstrate how to respectfully navigate difference of opinions and maintain the standards and obligation of each role.