Courthouse Dogs, Our New Partners That Provide Emotional Support to Crime Victims and their Families

The use of well-trained facility dogs is a new way in which we can provide emotional support to traumatized victims during a criminal investigation and during prosecution of a crime. The dog’s comforting presence enables child victims to discuss their experiences with police, child interview specialists, prosecutors, defense attorneys, judges, and juries. This session will provide information on: 1) how attorneys can argue to allow victim access to these dogs; 2) the best practices for the use of these dogs; 3) how the dogs are used in forensic interviews; 4) how to establish this type of program; and 5) an opportunity to meet and see how these dogs provide victims with positive memories of the criminal justice system. A dog will be present in the session. This session is geared toward attorneys and advocates with basic knowledge of crime victims’ rights.

Ellen O’Neill-Stephens, a senior deputy prosecuting attorney, began her career in the King County Prosecutor’s Office in Seattle, Washington in 1985. She founded the “Courthouse Dogs” program in 2003 and has given presentations on the use of these well-trained dogs at several national conferences. Ellen’s disabled son Sean, and his service dog Jeeter, were the inspiration for this program. She lives in Edmonds, Washington.

As Executive Director of Courthouse Dogs LLC, veterinarian Celeste Walsen works with criminal justice facilities to teach staff members the practicalities of using highly trained dogs in victim/witness support programs. Dr. Walsen is currently working to develop nationally recognized guidelines that will equip victim advocates, forensic interviewers, prosecuting attorneys, and other legal professionals to effectively employ dogs to provide support for vulnerable people of all ages. One key component of this ongoing work is the identification and publicizing of an acceptable standard for behavioral screening to identify dogs that are safe to work around children. Dr. Walsen holds a BA in Psychology from the University of California Berkeley and a DVM from Louisiana State University.

This conference is supported by Grant No. 2008-DD-BX-K001 awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Points of view in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.