I participated in my first dependency
trial. It was pretty intense. Since I did not have the case long, I did not
have to testify. Instead, an investigator from my office had to testify since
she was the one who originally removed the child in question from his parents.
Court can be very intimidating, especially when the parent’s attorneys are trying
to prove that DCS removed a child in error even if that is not the case.
As a result of going to the
dependency trial, I learned some very valuable information to help me when I
may have to testify. The first thing that I learned was to always take good
notes and make sure I post the notes in our system as timely as possible. If
there is no note or record of what happened, it is like it never happened. I also
learned to make sure I watch what I say to parents during conversations because
what I say can be used against me later. Lastly, I learned that it is very
important to always show up prepared for trials. Even if DCS feels that we have
all the proof we need to uphold a dependency, if we are not prepared for trial,
it can completely dismiss the whole case.
Hi Jamie,
ReplyDeleteI feel that being prepared is probably the utmost important of the three things you took away from your experience. Being prepared will allow you to be more confident and knowledgeable when dealing with others. I don't have much experience with the court systems but I have gone to jury duty once, but I was not chosen to actually take part in the case. It sounds like you had a really great experience that allowed you to take away some useful things that you will be able to utilize in the future.