Progress cited in sex
abuse investigationsA film follows the case of a father
and son accused of child sex abuse
in the '80s
Investigations of child sex-abuse cases have improved dramatically since the devastating experience of a Long Island family in the 1980s, say Hawaii criminal justice officials and others working with such cases.
"None of us do in 2004 what they did in the '80s," said Judy Lind, director of the Children's Justice Centers, which arranged a special showing of Andrew Jarecki's documentary "Capturing the Friedmans" Friday at the Wallace Restaurant Row 9 Theatre. "But what has not changed are the dynamics and issues related to abused children."
The audience included state, federal, county, private and military representatives of all areas concerned with child sex abuse, including law enforcement, mental health, child welfare and social services, prosecuting and defense attorneys, police, probationers and judges.
The controversial award-winning film is about an affluent Jewish family whose lives were turned upside down when the father, Arnold Friedman, and 18-year-old Jesse, one of three sons, were charged with child molestation in 1987.
Arnold, a high school science teacher, held computer classes for children in his home, where the abuse allegedly happened to boys. The U.S. Postal Service began investigating the family after intercepting a child porn magazine to the house.
Arnold and Jesse were charged with dozens of counts of sodomy and child abuse based almost entirely on testimony of some alleged victims. Both were sent to prison, where the father died of an overdose of antidepressants.
Jesse was released after 13 years and is seeking to overturn his conviction because his attorney says the film shows "important facts" were withheld by prosecutors that could have led to his acquittal.
The unusual documentary features home movies taken by the Friedmans, from happy family activities when the children were young to Jesse's release from prison and visit with his mother, Elaine. The family's deterioration is portrayed with conflict between Arnold, sons Jesse and David, and the mother. A third son, Seth, did not participate in the movie.
In opening remarks, Supreme Court Justice James Duffy said he realized how little he knew about child sexual abuse when asked to give remarks, so he visited the Judiciary's Children's Justice Center at 3019 Pali Highway.
Duffy said he did not realize how pervasive or complex child abuse is. Although the film about the Friedmans represents treatment of cases in the 1980s, "the case lives on," he said. "So, unfortunately, does child sexual abuse."
The film has generated many questions and controversy nationally about the investigation, police questioning of victims, the evidence and the attorneys' and judge's conduct.
In a panel discussion after the film, Honolulu Detective Woletta Kim, with the Children's Sex Assault Unit, said: "I'm just so mad, my voice is quivering. It's not that I don't see this (kind of case) every day, but so much has progressed in the agencies, we wouldn't see that today. ... I'm mad because back then, the way things were done caused a lot of agony for a lot of people."
Circuit Judge Marie Milks said she became very emotional during the film and felt sorry for the mother.
"Just a charge can ruin lives," Milks said.
She pointed to bias in the case, noting police filed charges before finishing interviews and pushed the case because of a sense that Arnold Friedman was guilty of child molestation.
The movie does not make it clear whether the father and son were guilty of the charges, she said, questioning the credibility of the police and attorneys, the "overcharging" in the case and harsh sentence for the youth.
"Once porno was found in the house, Mr. (Arnold) Friedman was sunk," said Deputy Public Defender Bill Bento.
"Assumptions were made, right or wrong," that he was an active pedophile, and the case snowballed, Bento said. "People accused can be victimized by the system."
Thalia Murphy, prosecuting attorney for child sex cases, and Joe Bloom, of Catholic Charities, said the film reinforces the fact that sexual abuse of children usually is done by people they trust, not strangers.
Murphy said the coercive interview techniques used in the Friedman case are not done here, lessening the possibility for false reporting.
"I'm proud of our system, the standard of our interviews, with training by the Children's Advocacy (Justice) Center," she said.