"A Full and Candid Account" Using Special Accommodations and Testimonial Aids to Facilitate the Testimony of Children Testimony Outside the Courtroom Alison Cunningham & Pamela Hurley (2007)

This resource is the second in a series of seven handbooks called "A Full and Candid Account". The focus here is on testimony 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. That remote location could be as close as an adjacent building or as far away as another country. You also find here a discussion of trauma in young crime victims and witnesses, diagrams of various configurations of testimony rooms, FAQs, what children say about testifying outside the courtroom, and explaining CCTV to children.

Download a copy

You can download this document as a PDF file. You must have Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Testimony Outside the Courtroom (819 KB)

Table of Contents

• Starr, age 17
• Introduction to Testimony Outside the Courtroom
• Why Some Children Should Testify From Outside the Courtroom
• Using Tele-testimony
• Configuration of Equipment in the Courtroom
• Minimum Requirements for a Courtroom Necessary to Receive Tele-testimony
• Diagrams of Testimony Rooms
• Remote Testimony
• Criminal Code Section 486.2
• Bill C-2: What's the Same? What's Changed?
• Basic Facts About Testimony Outside the Courtroom
• What Prosecutors Should Know About Trauma
• FAQs About Trauma and the Child Witness
• FAQs About Testimony Outside the Courtroom
• What Children Say About Testifying Outside the Courtroom
• Good Practice Guidance for Tele-testimony
• Situations that May Arise
• Explaining CCTV to Children
• Ascertaining the Child's Opinion
• Delivering Service in the Remote Court Location
• Further Readings
• About the Handbook Series

En français

Disponible également en français sous le titre « Un récit complet et franc » / Recours à des arrangements spéciaux et aux aides au témoignage pour faciliter le témoignage des enfants.

Let us know what you think

We have a short Feedback Form and hope you will take a minute to tell us your opinons on this resource.