People may see a dog near the witness stand in New Castle County’s courthouse.
On Wednesday, court officials welcomed its first dog that will work to comfort people in the Leonard L. Williams Justice Center courthouse in Wilmington. Vinn, a 2-year-old, yellow labrador retriever mix, is specifically trained to provide calm to those participating in stressful court proceedings.
The use of dogs for this purpose in courts is not uncommon and has occurred in several states for years. Other states have used them to comfort children during interviews or court hearings, as well as in special courts geared toward people suffering from addiction and mental illness.
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Like other so-called courthouse facility dogs, Vinn will be made available to people who have to testify or participate in some way in court hearings.
A news release announcing Vinn’s employment did not state any specific rules like whether criminal defendants could hypothetically make use of the dog’s services.
Court officials said they became interested in the idea after seeing Nikko, a New Castle County Police dog who officers have credited with helping calm people at crime scenes while detectives do their work.
Vinn began work late last year and has participated in things like protection from abuse hearings, but hasn’t yet been used during a trial proceeding.
Officials said Vinn will be available by appointment and on an “as-needed” basis. A link to request Vinn’s comfort can be found here.
Contact Xerxes Wilson at (302) 324-2787 or xwilson@delawareonline.com. Follow @Ber_Xerxes on Twitter. Related for Subscribers.
