Court Orientation/Preparation Programs
Many children find the criminal justice system intimidating, particular the courtroom experience. The lack of understanding of the court process can create court-related stress in child victims. Under these circumstances, the child victim can be a poor witness and the process of navigating the criminal and civil justice systems can affect the child’s psychological health in significant and lasting ways. Quality court preparation programs can reduce the stress level in the child witness, help the child to understand the nature of the proceedings, minimize the likelihood that the child will suffer additional trauma related to the court experience, improve the child’s ability to answer questions in court in the most accurate, complete and truthful manner and maximize the child’s ability to be perceived as a credible witness.
Through its recent strategic planning process, the Task Force identified the need for programs that assist in the preparation of child victims/witnesses as a way to de-stigmatize the courtroom experience and ensure that they are able to testify in court. The Court Orientation/Preparation Program is an attempt to ensure that young and vulnerable witnesses are not traumatized by the legal process and to facilitate the conditions necessary for a victim/witness to provide a full account of the evidence. Additionally, the project intends to develop and refine an innovative service model that can inform statewide best practices.
Click here to view the program instructions.
*The documents listed on the last page of the program instructions should link to the corresponding attached documents.
