NCJ Number
89091
Date Published
1983
Length
33 pages
Annotation
Through the experiences of an eight-year-old witness to a burglary, young readers are exposed to the procedures of the criminal justice system from arrest through sentencing.
Abstract
Written from the perspective of the feelings, actions, and questions of the young witness for the prosecution, this story, written in the vocabulary and sentence structure of children, presents a step-by-step description of legal processes, personnel, and procedures. Carla's experiences include observing a burglary of a neighbor's house, calling the police at her own initiative, talking to the police when they arrive at her home, identifying the suspect after his arrest, talking with the prosecutor about her role as a witness, receiving a subpoena for the preliminary hearing, testifying at the preliminary hearing, and then testifying at the jury trial. Much of the instruction about the legal procedures and processes is provided by the criminal justice professionals who converse with Carla, notably the prosecutor, who explains the procedures of preliminary hearings, other pretrial procedures, and the trial itself. The story is sympathetic to Carla's fears and confusions as she anticipates and encounters the various steps in criminal justice processing, which are explained to her by sympathetic criminal justice personnel. Photographic illustrations accompany the story.