In the United States, the dog court house is a professionally trained dog facility that has graduated from an accredited assistant dog organization that is a member of Assistance Dogs International. The dog helps victims of crime, witnesses and others during criminal investigations and prosecutions, as well as during other legal proceedings. Dogs of court facilities also provide assistance to Drug Courts and Mental Court participants during their recovery from drugs, alcohol, mental illness and post-traumatic stress disorder.
In addition to the courthouse, these dogs work in child advocacy centers, district attorney offices, and law enforcement settings. These dog handlers are professionals working in the legal system such as district attorneys, law enforcement officers, forensic interviewers, psychologists, social workers, and victim supporters. Unprofessional handlers are not used with dog court facilities because of the confidential nature of some processes, and because the presence of a layman during a crime investigation and in a courtroom can create legal problems.
Video Courthouse facility dog
Public works
- Welcoming children and parents who come to child advocacy centers to initiate child sexual abuse investigations
- Accompany a child (ages 4 - 17) during a forensic interview, in which the child explains to a trained interviewer the details of a sexual harassment incident or violent crime
- Accompanying a child during various phases of criminal investigation and prosecution, including defense interviews, competency hearings, and trial hearings
- Welcome community members across the courthouse
- Attend drug courts, mental health courts, and other restorative justice proceedings to provide an element of peace for the disabled and individuals in drug withdrawal
- Accompanying vulnerable adult crime victims, including rape survivors, delayed developmental adults, and parents during court proceedings
- Provide emotional comfort to family members of murder victims during the trial and punish offenders
- Provides a sense of normalcy during child and family court proceedings.
Maps Courthouse facility dog
Training
Dogs of court facilities are usually bred, raised and trained by the organization of dog servants who are members of Assistance Dogs International, such as Canine Companions for Independence, Assistance Dogs of the West, and Support Dogs, Inc.
Rescue dogs are not maid dogs because they do not help people with disabilities. Assistance Dogs International defines dog facilities and describes their training standards that should be maintained by the handlers of those who work as professionals in certain settings.
Most of these dogs are either golden retreats or Labrador or a combination of two breeds. These dogs usually spend eighteen months raised by volunteer dog breeders with weekly compliance classes and have six months or more working with professional dog trainers. During this time the coach of the organization carefully assesses which aid dog facility has the best temperament to work in a courthouse environment. Successful court dogs will have a calm, calm and confident attitude. Dogs also need to adapt, are very social and work independently with many individuals throughout the day and have plenty of handlers. In addition to basic dog training, which must involve passing public access tests, dogs should be able to tolerate people wearing clothing from all walks of life, angry people, drug abusers, boundary children, uncertain behavior, and full situations emotion. Most importantly, dogs must know when to engage with people in public and when to be barely visible for long periods of time during child forensic interviews and litigation. The court house dog officer receives intensive training before graduating from the service dog organization with their dog. To protect dog jurisdictions and handlers, in case a lawsuit is filed, these dogs often carry a minimum of one million dollars in liability insurance. Many eligible dogs carry the policy as part of the certification process, such as the dog court facility provided by Canine Friend for Independence.
When the dogs of the courthouse facilities are not on duty, they are the beloved pets that live with their primary handlers.
Legal status
Despite prosecuting prosecutors, law enforcement officers, and victim advocates supporting the use of canine court dogs in assisting victims of crime and witnesses when they testify in court, some defense attorneys objected to their use due to concerns that it was harming their clients. Objections are usually based on the argument that the presence of a dog may make the prosecutor's witness more appealing to the jury. However, the dog of the courthouse facility is for everyone. If this type of dog is available and witnesses can show the judge that the presence of a court dog will facilitate their ability to testify in court, then the dog must be available to everyone including the defendant.
The National Criminal Victims' Legal Institution suggested that the jury's instruction on the presence of dogs in the courtroom be given to the jury before consideration to overcome unfair prejudice against the defense or prosecution.
"Testifying in court is an unusual and stressful event for most people: these dogs are used in courtroom settings to help ease the anxiety of witnesses and are available to any one requesting witness."
In the case of the state of the Supreme Court in the state of Washington State v Dye, the court found that it was not too detrimental to Ellie's dog facility being trained by, and living with, prosecutors at Dye's trial. Overcoming the possibility of biasing the jury with the use of the dog court building facility, the court found the following:
"Furthermore, any unconscious bias that may occur to the jury is cured by court border court instructions, which warn the jury not to" make any assumptions or draw any conclusions based on the presence of this service. The jury is considered following instructions there is no evidence otherwise. Country v. Kirkman, 159 Wn.2d 918, 928, 155 P.3d 125 (2007). No such evidence appears on the record here. The jury's constitutional role prevents us from supposing-the power of suspicion-that the jury "[makes] decisions based on the reaction and attitude of the dog, not the witness...." Br. Amicus Curiae Wash, Defender Ass'n & amp; The Defender Ass'n at 14. And our precedent forces us to respect the court's decision: whether we can conduct trials differently, we can not say the courts act in an absurd way. "
History
First in using trained dogs to assist victims and witnesses in the criminal justice system:
- 2003: Jeeter, a Labrador golden retriever service volunteer dog, accompanying twins to King County Superior Court during court competence and court testimony.
- 2004: Canine's friend for Independence becomes the first aid dog organization to place a facility dog ​​(Ellie, a Labrador retriever mix) to work in the prosecutor's office, in Seattle.
- 2013: Rosie, the dog of the graduate facility of the ECAD aid dog organization stationed at Poughkeepsie Children's Home to help a child who must testify against his father in State v. Tohom.
- 2018: Duo, auxiliary dog ​​organization, creates the first dog facility (Oliver placement, Labrador retriever mix) in Europe. Oliver is also the world's first facility dog ​​placed at the university (Canterbury Christ Church University, UK).
An important event in the formation of the organization and the legislature centered around the use of dogs court building facilities:
- 2012: The Courthouse Dog Foundation was founded, which is a nonprofit organization that advocates and educates about the use of dog court building facilities.
- April, 2015: Arkansas becomes the first state to issue a bill allowing child witnesses to testify with a certified dog facility in court.
- July, 2015: Illinois becomes the second state to provide action allowing facility dogs to accompany witnesses of children and adults who have progressed during court testimony.
- May, 2016: Arizona becomes the third country that allows child witnesses to testify with dogs of the courthouse facility.
- June, 2016: Hawaii becomes the fourth country to allow child witnesses to testify with dogs of the courthouse facility.
- June 2017 Alabama passes the Koda SB273 Act allowing equal access and privileges Courthouse for dog Therapy and dog Facilities to accompany witness in court. Dog facilities can be trained through the organization of assistant dogs.
- January 2018: The Justice Support Dogs International Lab was founded by Dr. Elizabeth Spruin. Labs were established to encourage the use of facility dogs in the British Criminal Justice System and to help establish evidence bases for these practices.
Since 2003, the use of dog court building facilities has spread throughout the United States and internationally.
Important example
- Ellie from Canine Companions for Independence (placed 2004) - Primary Guard King County Senior Deputy Prosecutor Page Ulrey - Prosecutor Attorneying Office, Seattle, WA.
- Stilson from Canine Companions for Independence (placed 2005) - Heidi Potter's main victim of advocacy - In 2013 Stilson retires from the Snohomish County Prosecutor's Office, Everett, WA.
- Simon from Support Dogs Inc., St. Louis Missouri (placed in 2009) - Main executive - Diane Silman executive director of the Ozark Children's Advocacy Center
- Kerris from Canine Companions for Independence (placed 2009) - Kevin Kelly, Senior Deputy Regional Prosecutor Office of Kitsap, WA.
- Peseta from Bocalan Confiar (placed 2009) - PolicÃÆ'a de Investigaciones de Chile (PDI) and Servicio Nacional de Menores (SENAME) from the Ministry of Justice, child abuse abuse organization.
- Cooper of the Assistance Dogs of the West (placed 2010) - Primary handler - Hope Henessey, Court appoints Lea County Special Advocate, Hobbs, NM.
- Pono of the Hawaiian Assistance Dogs (placed 2010) - Handler Director Dennis Dunn, Witness Korim Kokua Service at Prosecutors, City and County of Honolulu, HI.
- Emma from Assistance Dogs of the West (placed 2010) - Primary handler Natasha Sing, Court Appointed Chaves County Special Advocate, Roswell, NM.
- Russell from Assistance Dogs of the West (Placed 2012) - Primary Handler: Kathy Rau, Executive Director of Arizona's Advocacy Center, Tucson, AZ.
- Blake from Assistance Dogs of the West (Placed in 2013) - Primary Handler: Colleen Phelan, Victim Advocate, Pima County Attorney's Office, Tucson, AZ.
- Tibet, from Canine Companions for Independence (placed 2014) - Brenda Kocher Primary Handler, Guardian ad Litem Program Hillsborough County, FL.
- Nomad, from Canine Companions for Independence (placed 2014) - Primary Handler Donna Callis, Out Therapist Patient at Advocacy Center for Children Community Community in Virginia Virginia
- Lincoln from Saint Francis Service Dogs (placed 2015) - Primary Handler: Victim Advocate Lori Jones, Commonwealth Law Office of Faquier County, VA.
- Oliver from Duo: Dog Help for All Needs (placed 2018) - Main Handler: Dr. Elizabeth Spruin. , Department of Psychology, Church College of Christ Canterbury, Canterbury, England.
References
External links
- The Courthouse Dog Foundation website
- Using Dogs for Emotional Support Witnessing Crime Victims
- Dogs in the courtroom
- International Dog Custody Support
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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