Closed circuit in court assists with testimony
The war on child abuse has just been taken to the next level and Saline County is benefiting from the change.
Monday, a new addition to the Saline County Courthouse just changed the playing field for children involved in abuse cases. The Guardian Center has announced the establishment of a closed circuit room. The room, that once served as the office for former Saline County Sheriff George Henley, is located in the basement of the Saline County Courthouse and has undergone a grand makeover.
Prior to December 1, 2008, closed circuit testifying was never used in Saline County. That initiative was brought forth by acting State's Attorney, Mike Henshaw and Assistant State's Attorney, Eva Walker. Since their election into office, Henshaw and Walker have seen to it that out of the felony sex crimes reported to police, Saline County has charged 80 percent of those.
Henshaw attributes his success to Walker, whom he has deemed his "secret weapon." She has never lost a sex crime case that went to trial.
The room is a safe haven to be used so that a witness can testify in the presence of the trial judge, prosecuting attorney, defense attorney, and court security personnel. The defendant and jury view the live testimony on a monitor in the courtroom and the defendant is provided an electronic method to communicate with defense council.
"We just won a case where the defendant struck a plea once they found out about the closed circuit system," Sheryl Woodham, executive director for the Guardian Center said.
The room will be stocked with quiet activity items such as board games, coloring books and books to read. Mounted on the wall is a closed circuit camera as well as a microphone that connect to equipment in the court room above. All the equipment was purchased with the help of the Poshard Foundation for abused children.
"The portable equipment we had at our disposal in the past was very unreliable," Woodham said.
Saline County has the highest reported number of child abuse victims among the eight counties the Guardian Center serves. When the Center began providing services to child victims in Saline County in 1999 it was anticipated that Saline, White, and Gallatin counties together would generate a total of 80-100 cases of child sexual abuse each year. During fiscal year 2015, The Guardian Center served 170 children, with 32 children from Saline County and 10 from Gallatin County.
The Closed Circuit Room also will serve as a waiting area for witnesses and a place where children's advocacy center staff can meet with families to provide emotional support during court proceedings. It also has a visitation area."
"It is really unusual to find a county where you have every significant party pulling together to represent the interest of the child, " Glen Poshard, Founder of the Poshard foundation said.