Facility dogs in UK courtrooms: Public perspective

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to investigate how members of the UK public would feel about introducing facility dogs to UK courts as a form of special measure. The results from an online survey showed that participants (n = 270) thought they would be significantly less likely to feel anxious, intimidated, distressed, frightened, and traumatized, and significantly more likely to feel safe if accompanied by a facility dog. Both dog owners and non-dog owners were overwhelmingly supportive of the incorporation of facility dogs into the justice system, and thematic analysis of their qualitative responses revealed four main themes: calming, comforting, testimony improvement, and the dog as a distraction. The only concern participants showed was whether the dogs would influence jurors’ perceptions of the witness and, therefore, potentially the defendant. Overall, the study demonstrates overwhelming support for this innovative service in UK courtrooms, although further research on the effect on jurors is recommended.

KEYWORDS:

• Facility dogs
• UK courts
• survivor-orientated justice
• special measures
• witness testimony

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank all of the participants who took part in this study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

A copy of the raw data can be obtained by contacting the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.