Victim Testimony

No matter how prepared victims are for what to expect when testifying in court, it will be a nerve-wracking experience. Seeing a familiar face in the courtroom can be an incredible comfort. As explained in Module 2, courtrooms and court proceedings are publicly accessible and advocates should attend proceedings during victims’ testimony where victims want advocates to do so. Anyone attending court proceedings should be aware of, and observe, courtroom etiquette (discussed on the next page).    

Advocates should prepare to offer emotional support to victims after their testimony. Plan to check in with victims in the days following their testimony and offer support and services where needed.

Trial Proceedings

Despite the general presumption that courtrooms are open to the public, in some instances victims may not be permitted in the courtroom during the testimony of other witnesses at the trial (explained in Modules 2 and 3). Advocates should help victims prepare for the trial by deciding from where they wish to monitor the proceedings. If victims are permitted in the courtroom, do they wish to watch all (or some) of the other witnesses and evidence from the courtroom? Perhaps they wish to be present in the courthouse but remain in the hallway or a witness waiting room during the presentation of evidence. Alternatively, victims may wish to attend only when they are needed in the courtroom (or may be limited to that) and just receive updates from the prosecution with respect to the rest of the proceedings. This decision may even change during the course of the trial as victims may find listening to the evidence more difficult than they originally anticipated. Advocates can support victims who choose to be present by sitting with them in the courtrooms or elsewhere in the courthouse or by helping victims who choose not to be present obtain daily updates on the progress of the proceedings.