U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Report of a Project To Prepare a Manual of Procedures for Serving Deaf Defendants, Victims and Witnesses

NCJ Number
87496
Author(s)
T E Whalen
Date Published
1981
Length
175 pages
Annotation
This working manual is to be used in initiating procedures in criminal cases involving deaf defendants, victims, and witnesses, and resulted from studying criminal cases involving deaf persons in Kings County, N.Y., for 1.5 years.
Abstract
The manual defines the problem that deaf persons have with the criminal justice system and the problems the system has in serving them. It discusses new procedures introduced into the system by the researcher as solutions to these problems. Under the new procedures, a caseworker is assigned to work with a specialized attorney as part of the defense or prosecution team. The caseworker has specific tasks to perform at each stage of the proceedings. In fulfilling this role, the caseworker is not an interpreter but an advocate for the deaf defendant or deaf victim. The caseworker's job is to ensure that deaf persons understand the legal system and, when working with an attorney, to assist them in making decisions affecting their legal rights. The caseworker's specific duties at each stage of the criminal proceedings are described. Tables, figures, resource material, and study instruments are provided. (Author abstract modified)