Children, social science, and the law: an introduction to the issues / Bette L. Bottoms, Margaret Bull Kovera and Bradley D. McAuliff -- pt. I. Children's rights, their capabilities, and society's responsibilities to children. The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996: what will it mean for children? / Brian L. Wilcox, Rebecca A. Colman, and Jennifer M. Wyatt -- Advocacy for children's rights / Mark A. Small and Susan P. Limber -- Children's rights and capacities / Melinda G. Schmidt and N. Dickon Reppucci -- Children's legal representation in civil litigation / Ann M. Haralambie and Kari L. Nysse-Carris -- pt. II. Children and family change. Termination of parental rights to free children for adoption: conflicts between parents, children, and the state / Jeffrey J. Haugaard and Rosemary J. Avery -- Child custody research at the crossroads: issues for a new century / Charlene E. Depner -- Children of lesbian and gay parents: research, law and policy / Charlotte J. Patterson, Megan Fulcher, and Jennifer Wainright -- pt. III. Juvenile aggression and juvenile justice. Juvenile transfer to adult court: how can developmental and child psychology inform policy decision making? / Randall T. Salekin -- Youth violence: correlates, interventions, and legal implications / Carrie S. Fried and N. Dickon Reppucci -- Capacity, competence, and the juvenile defendant: implications for research and policy / Jennifer L. Woolard -- pt. IV. Children as victims and witnesses. The effects of community violence on children and adolescents: intervention and social policy / Steven L. Berman, Wendy K. Silverman, and William M. Kurtines -- Preventing child abuse and neglect / Mia McFarlane, Howard J. Doueck, and Murray Levine -- Children's eyewitness memory: true disclosures and false reports / Jennifer M. Schaaf, Kristen Weede Alexander, Gail S. Goodman, Simona Ghetti, Robin S. Edelstein, and Paola Castelli -- Expert testimony on the suggestibility of children: does it fit? / Thomas D. Lyon -- The status of evidentiary and procedural innovations in child abuse proceedings / Bradley D. McAuliff and Margaret Bull Kovera -- pt. V. Conclusions and future directions. Starting a new generation of research / Gary B. Melton -- What will it take to bring child-focused law, policy, and research into the 21st century? Concluding thoughts / Howard Davidson.