A review of the Calgary child witness court preparation program

Likely this is a reflection of the nature of the victim/witness involvement in the criminal justice system – that police are one of the first responders to criminal actions, and therefore are the first to have an opportunity to make a referral to a court preparation program. [...] The information is with respect to the implementation of the Court Preparation Program and its impact on the children/youth, families and members of the justice system. [...] The successes and challenges related to accessibility included: barriers to accessing the program, children not being referred to the program, the ease of making referrals to the program and accommodations made by the program for special needs. [...] The Results in Context with the Research Literature The results of the current file review of close to 2129 referrals from 1992 to 2003 and the qualitative interviews with 41 key justice and community stakeholders are consistent with the literature presented in the two chapters that review the published research. [...] The new Section 486.3(1) of Bill C-2 (2006) extends that prohibition to any proceedings in which the witness is under 18 years, upon application by the prosecutor or witness, unless the presiding judge or justice is of the opinion “that the proper administration of justice requires the accused to personally conduct the cross- examination.” The relationship between stress and memory has been contro