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Testimony Outside the Courtroom

NCJ Number
222117
Author(s)
Pamela Hurley M.Ed.; Alison Cunningham M.A.
Date Published
2007
Length
34 pages
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