I am a witness

Children can go to court and sometimes they can be witnesses, too. The most important thing for every witness to do is to tell the truth. Sometimes it hurts to say what really happened, but if you are a witness you still have to tell the truth.

Sometimes a lawyer can ask you a question and you do not remember the answer. If that ever happens, all you have to do is say you don’t remember. If you do not know the answer to a question, you can say, “I don’t know.” It is important not to guess, and not to say something that you think the lawyer or the judge wants to hear. Lawyers sometimes ask questions in a funny way. If they do, you may not understand what they mean. That’s OK, too. Just let the judge or the lawyer know that you do not understand the question, and the judge will take care of the situation.

Sometimes children are scared to go to court. If you have to go to court, it’s OK to feel scared. Adults get scared about court, too. Just remember the judge is there to make sure everything is fair.

Children usually go to court because of cases involving their family. It could be a criminal case, where someone is charged with a crime. Or it could be a family law case if a mother and father need the judge to decide something. Sometimes it is a case where someone in the family hurt someone else in the family. These cases are hard for everyone.