Delayed reporting and legal outcomes in child sexual abuse cases: An empirical analysis.

BACKGROUND Whether delays in reporting Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) undermine prosecution remains contested.

OBJECTIVE To test the association between reporting delay and legal outcomes in CSA cases.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING File-based dataset of 204 CSA cases concluded in Poland (2017-2023).

METHODS Data was gathered via full case-file review with systematic coding. Reporting delay was measured from last incident of the abuse to formal report and categorized (0-1, 2-30, 31-365, >365 days). Bivariate χ2 with Cramér's V and multinomial logistic regression modeled legal cases outcomes as a function of reporting delay, victim-offender relationship, victim age at onset, and scope of investigative activities.

RESULTS Reporting delay did not significantly predict conviction or acquittal relative to discontinuation (all p > 0.10). By contrast, the scope of investigative activities and victim age were associated with convictions: few/limited investigative actions vs. extensive were linked to lower conviction likelihood (p < 0.001). Onset of the abuse in early adolescence (11-14) and late adolescence (15-17) vs. childhood (0-10) showed higher conviction likelihood (both p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS In this sample, reporting delay was not statistically associated with legal outcome. Two factors emerged as strong predictors of conviction: a higher level of investigative activity and older victim age at the onset of the abuse. Once cases enter the system, investigative thoroughness may matter more than the timing of disclosure.