Child and teen victims of crime face unique challenges and a slew of questions before court dates and hearings. Who are the people in the courtroom? What are they there for? Will I have to see the person who hurt me? What should I wear? What’s court like?
To help answer these questions and others like them, the Indiana Chapter of NCA is now hosting an online interactive guide full of advice, interactive elements, and more.
“Child Advocates working in CACs and in Prosecutor’s Offices around Indiana know kids and teens ask a lot of questions in advance of court dates. They often wonder if they’re in trouble, or if they will get in trouble — probably because most of their impressions of the judicial system come from shows and movies,” says Chapter Director Jan Lutz. “We also know CACs, Prosecutors, and even courts need tangible and digital material to help kids understand the process. That’s why we embarked on a multi-phase project to help. The first phase of this project is now online as Kids and Teens in Court.”
The guides include:
- Top FAQs by kids and teens about the judicial process and court
- An interactive guide and game showing courtroom players and their roles, such as a judge, jury, and bailiff
- A description of rights kids and teens have, despite being under the age of 18
- Brief explainers and interactive elements about the inside of courtrooms
- What to wear to court, a top question among many kids and teens
“We’ve also developed print-friendly PDF documents for CACs to use internally. These include age-appropriate sheets for young kids and teens that cover many of the same questions and answers,” says Lutz. “This is all for the benefit of CACs and teams working to help child victims of crime and their families seek justice and healing.”