[Article] DVD on going to court launched

Victor

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/0421/1224245070652.html

DVD on going to court launched
CAROL COULTER, Legal Affairs Editor

A DVD FOR young people on going to court has been produced by the Courts Service. It will be uploaded on to YouTube, Bebo and Facebook and also distributed by Barnardos, which assisted in its preparation.

The DVD describes how the courts work, how a video link operates, how to take an oath, who is present in court and what is required from a witness, be they adult or child.

Brendan Ryan, chief executive officer of the Courts Service, said young people could find themselves in court for a variety of reasons from a young age.

This could include involvement in child abduction cases or child trafficking, in disputes involving custody of and access to children, all of which are dealt with in the High Court, as well as cases involving children who break the law.

The number of supervision and care applications in the District Court had increased in recent years, he said. In addition, children may be asked to give evidence in cases in which they were witnesses.

Fergus Finlay, chief executive of Barnardos, to whom the first copy of the DVD was presented, said that it would be distributed through the organisation’s 40 projects around the State, all of whom had some children with experience of having to go to court.

Victor

http://www.courts.ie/Courts.ie/Library3.nsf/PageCurrent/3FA29AE55359A05B80256DA6005B199D?opendocument&l=en

Going to Court

A DVD and booklet for young witnesses

Going to court.pdf

Going to Court.mov

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http://www.courts.ie/courts.ie/library3.nsf/16c93c36d3635d5180256e3f003a4580/3664e05a0209f40e8025759e0040bad8?OpenDocument

Press Releases
20/04/2009
Young Witnesses to benefit from production of new DVD.

Young Witnesses to benefit from production of new DVD.

The Courts Service has developed a first in information for young witnesses. A new DVD, 'Going to Court', will explain and demystify the court process for young witnesses in court cases.

This DVD and explanatory booklet has been tried and tested in school rooms. It will be shown for the first time at a media call Today Monday April 20th - where it will be presented to Mr Fergus Finlay the CEO of the childrens' organisation Barnardos.

Details; Courts Service CEO, Mr Brendan Ryan, will present the new 'Going to Court' DVD on Monday, April 20th, 2009, at 1.00 p.m. on the fifth floor of Phoenix House, Phoenix Street, North Smithfield, Dublin 7. The DVD will be presented to Barnardos for use by the organisation in enabling young people involved in the court process. Specific Statistics on children before the Courts will be released at the launch.

This production is a guide to what happens in court, who everyone in the courtroom is, how video link operates, what is the oath, where will you sit and a young person's job as a witness.

Most importantly it allows potential young witnesses to familiarise themselves with the court process. It also suggests that you can arrange to visit the court, or one nearby, and ask to see how video link operates in advance so on the day you know what to expect.

This advance familiarisation of what happens in court is a great way of calming the natural, but very real, nerves young people ? and all of us - may feel if asked to give evidence.

The DVD will be available through state, justice and voluntary organisations who deal with young people involved with the courts system and will be posted to our website. In the coming week it will also be uploaded onto Youtube, and Courts Service pages on Facebook and Bebo.