Testimony Outside the Courtroom

• NCJ Number: 222117
• Author(s): Pamela Hurley M.Ed.; Alison Cunningham M.A.
• Date Published: 2007
• Length: 34 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: Canada Department of Justice
• Corporate Author: Centre for Children and Families in the Justice System
• Sale Source: Centre for Children and Families in the Justice System
• Publication Format: Book (Softbound)
• Publication Type: Handbook
• Language: French; English
• Country: Canada
• Note: This is book 2 in a seven handbook series. See NCJ-222118-122 and NCJ-222116 for additional handbooks in the series.

Annotation

The intent of this handbook is to focus on testimony outside the courtroom and aid front-line justice professionals who use special accommodations and testimonial aids for young witnesses in criminal proceedings.

Abstract

This handbook, the second in a series of seven, focuses on the testimony of children outside the courtroom, including the use of CCTV to enable a child to testify from elsewhere in the courthouse. The topic of remote testimony is also discussed. In this approach, testimony is transmitted “live” from a location outside the courthouse, using secure electronic transmission supported by a fast-evolving menu of options. A discussion is also provided of the trauma in young crime victims and witnesses. The goal of this handbook, as well as all of those in the series, is to assist court personnel in helping children give a complete and accurate account of evidence to the court. 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, Witness Screens, Video-recorded Evidence, Designated Support Person, Hearsay Evidence and Children, and Children and Teenagers Testifying in Domestic Violence Cases. Figures, and list of suggested readings