neonscreen asked this question on 4/22/2000:

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I am doing a screenplay and would like to find information about children who have been isolated from society, either by being kept home or locked up in some way. Is there a database of cases or something like that where I could find information about this? I know since this is dealing with children a lot of this information doesn't become public record. If not cases maybe a book that looks in to the psyche of children that you could recommend.

cpiblues gave this response on 4/22/2000:

First I would like to say that I hope that this screenplay that you are "doing" will be helpful to society in understanding the pain and anguish that abused children go through. Too often, children are portrayed in a manner that is not indicative of the reality that they are experiencing and it would be a disservice to not take your "role" very seriously. On to the question. For an "easy" read to understand children experiencing the abuse you refer to collect Torey L. Hayden's books. She is an excellent author and is able to take the reader where many people have not been able to go -notwithstanding the child protective investigator and therapist. Bob Greene or Woodward...a Chicago Tribune columnist followed a story for quite sometime about children kept locked in cages and starved until they told the police and were released. He followed that story for over a year. Regretfully that information was on my other computer and was unretrievable (haven't looked it up again)Author Martha B. Straus - Violence in the Lives of Adolescents is very telling for background information. David Finkelhor Sexually Victimized Children - writes extensively in the field of "violence". A very good book - though dryer reading for those not interested in the issue: Child Maltreatment: Theory and research on the causes and consequences of child abuse and neglect (I highly recommend this one) Edited by Dante Cicchetti and Vicki Carlson. There are Collegiate Journals (check your local University Library - or via the web libraries) such as Child Maltreatment, Child Abuse and Neglect, Family Violence, Psychological Bulletin, etc. The majority of these records are sealed and thus the journals and books written by professionals involved with these children are the closest and most reliable source you will get.