Kids in Court: A program evaluation based on the child's experience (California)

This study employed a qualitative design to investigate the experiences of children who have attended the Kids in Court program in San Diego, CA and have had to testify in court. This research was important in uncovering the truth behind what factors seemed to contribute the most to participants' anxiety both during the KIC program and while testifying. The goals of this study were to investigate, from the child's experience, what testifying was like for them and how attending KIC may have improved their performance in court, so as to assess what possible improvements could be made to the KIC program. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 7 child participants, and their caregivers completed questionnaires in which they were asked to rate their perceived level of support after the disclosure of the abuse and during the court process. In addition, KIC Coordinator, Deena Brooks completed a questionnaire after each child testified with regards to whether they utilized the skills taught to them at KIC while in court and what their observable signs of anxiety were. Eleven themes emerged from the data analysis based on the constant comparative method described by Maykut & Morehouse (1994). Major themes that emerged included (1) Fear of making a mistake while testifying; (2) Fear of facing the defendant; (3) Courtroom experience influenced anxiety; (4) [Physical] contact with the support person decreased anxiety; (5) Undisclosed somatic manifestations of anxiety; (6) Child participants had no prior knowledge about court before attending Kids in Court; (7) Child participants really enjoyed the Kids in Court program. Minor themes included (1) Multiple testimonies decreased anxiety; (2) Internal dialogue/imagery as a coping skill; (3) People in the courtroom increased anxiety; (4) Sense of empowerment by testifying. The themes were compared and contrasted to the literature on the experience child witnesses have in court. Clinical implications with regards to suggestions for the KIC program and suggestions for future research were discussed.