WA: four-legged witness assistant
In the name of parity, I expect one of these for our side. From the Everett Herald:
A lick of help for victims - Service dog comforts witnesses in county court cases
Enter Stilson. Stilson, a 2-year-old Labrador retriever mix, put his head on the woman's lap. The woman calmed down. Stilson did his job. Later, after the woman read her comments to the judge, Stilson sat at her feet, easing her nervousness during the remainder of the court hearing. The dog, a well-trained service animal, is the latest addition to the prosecutor's staff...
You object! Me, I just want equality of arms (and dogs). King County had the first doggie; Trial Ad Notes has the story.
I'd put our public defender service dog next to the stand when our witnesses testify, to help them stay on task maybe. I wouldn't choose a lovey-dovey dog, but one of your heel-nipping herding breeds such as my shepherd-heeler.
1 Comment:
Don't you think a witness would be more likely to tell the truth if there was a dog nearby? I'm not sure what I'm basing that on.... maybe because it is harder to lie in front of a good-hearted dog who is there to make you feel better... or maybe the witness would fear the dog could sense a lie and would out the lying witness to the jury by barking or growling.... or maybe I'm just suffering from a lack of sleep.
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