NCJ Number
222120
Date Published
2007
Length
26 pages
Annotation
The focus of this handbook is on the role of a designated support person who accompanies the child witnesses as they testify, offering aid to frontline justice professionals who use special accommodations and testimonial aids for young witnesses in criminal proceedings.
Abstract
Compared to other testimonial aids available in Canada, the designated support person is arguably the easiest and most practical assistance available. The simple measure of a support person will, at no cost and minimal inconvenience, serve both the needs of child witnesses and the needs of the Court. It can be used in any courtroom environment, from the largest city to the most remote village. Children appreciate the assistance of a support person and it can be used in conjunction with other aids, such as the witness screen or testimony outside the courtroom. A support person, sometimes called a designated support person, is someone permitted by the judge/justice, upon application, to sit or stand close to a child witness while he/she testifies. Reducing testimony stress yields higher quality and fuller evidence from children and teenagers. The other six handbooks in this series on using special accommodations and testimonial aids to facilitate the testimony of children are entitled: Overview of Issues Related to Child Testimony, Testimony Outside the Courtroom, Witness Screens, Video-recorded Evidence, Hearsay Evidence and Children, and Children and Teenagers Testifying in Domestic Violence Cases. Figures and list of suggested reading