Teaching an old dog new tricks: Using courthouse facility dogs in Australia

Abstract

Courthouse facility dogs are increasingly used to support child witnesses and complainants during testimony in courtrooms across the globe. Although already commonplace in the United States, this practice has been largely unexplored in the Australian context. This paper puts forward the case for courthouse facility dogs in Australia and offers some insight into striking the delicate balance between protecting defendants’ rights to a fair trial, and improving the efficiency and quality of the legal system for vulnerable witnesses and victims.