Child's Role In Criminal Justice Essay

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Recommended: Children eyewitness testimonies in the criminal justice system

The role of child witnesses in the criminal justice has been challenged due to inappropriate circumstances of the legal system. In the presence of court, children are traumatized by mental harassment, intimidation, confusion and misleading questioning during the interventions of eyewitness testimony and witness identification. Also legal system does not promote either privacy or the safety of the child eyewitness in both inside and the outside of the court. Confronting the respondent in the court room particularly, make the child dreadful experience. Because, this would be the first time that the child and the criminal meet after the alleged offences. Such occasion’s criminal may attempt to threaten the child witness through facial expressions …show more content…

The children have to give evidence in front of a strange person, the solicitor. However children are often unwillingly speak to yet another stranger. Though the solicitor adhering ethics to not contact with the witnesses, it needs to be flexible in relation to child witnesses. Many occasions children ignore the role of the solicitor or the types of questions asked in order to take judiciary decisions. Before the trial, children have no chance of meeting the prosecutor or establishing a connection with DP till prior to giving their evidence. Additionally, one criminal case may conduct by different prosecuting attorney or the whole team may change from the beginning to the end of the trial. Thus new judge would not have definite knowledge on either the child or his/her circumstances, and thus these intentionally may make upset the child and his giving evidence. On the other hand, child may not understand the questions accurately thus he would mislead in witnessing. Incomprehensible terminology and the court formalities are alienated to many children and they could intimidate and confuse children witnesses. These problems often occur during cross-examination. Lawyers of the criminal purposefully tend to use baffling statements with the view of confusing the eyewitness. This could prevent a child not only witness from describing events but also increase the confusion and memory

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