Childhood trauma can be quite substantial and long-term. Professionals should therefore aim at preventing more trauma in the court system. It is actually a scary moment for children when they have to make an appearance before a judge. Children believe that judge is that person they see on television who sends bad people to jail. When children are told they have to appear before a judge, they are afraid that they will be sent to jail and that they have caused the commotion in their home.
An eight-year-old had to witness against her mother in a case of child abuse. She wailed outside the courtroom and when she was called to testify, she claimed she did not want to. Later, she was lured into the courtroom by the judge who promised to show her pictures of his children’s dogs. She obviously liked dogs. Still, she could not testify until she was told to close her eyes. She did not want to talk to anyone or to recount her experiences to so many strangers.
When a child has been abused or neglected by their parents or any other adult, they are often removed from their home and therefore separated from their siblings. They are then told that the case will be handled in court and that an advocate will be appointed. This is definitely a new term for the child and since it is also an adult, they are scared.
In addition, in recollecting a history of the trauma experience, systems can create trauma reminders. Such include people, places, and experiences. It could also be sensory stimuli that prompt recollections of the original ordeal. Reminders could include exposure to places that are similar in appearance to the ones in which the ordeal was experienced, sounds or smells that have the same effect, and voices or words that might have been used during the experience. It could also be the presence of the perpetrator of that trauma.
When this happens, the child is likely to experience emotions and thoughts as if the experience was happening all over again. This might affect the child’s behavior and they could feel helpless, powerless, or anxious. The caretakers should be aware of this so that they avoid reminders that might trigger the same reaction.
To take care of system-generated trauma, older children are prepared by a volunteer for an appearance in court. They are told the roles of the different people in the courtroom, who include the judge and the guardian who takes care of the legal matters concerning children. They are also told that the role of the case is to reunite them with their parents or close family members and that their desires will be addressed in the case.
Adults in a case involving a minor have to take the responsibility to prevent retraumatization for the children in their care. Since the experience is obviously scary, children are told that the people present in the courtroom are only interested in their wellbeing. To achieve this goal, efforts to reduce the number of interviewers and the period when the child has to go through this are necessary. The child should also be respected and treated with dignity. Interviews should be carried out in an environment that is friendly to the child and by a person who is warm and supportive. At times, a child needs several chances to tell their story and therefore needs patience. The same interviewer should be present in all the sessions as different interviewers could cause stress.