Exercise 2: Summary
Overall, people with children spend on average 6.6 hours per day caring for their children. For many, it is their full-time job and there is not always a safe substitute to care for children in their absence.
Children in court may be disruptive, and users may find it difficult to focus on their business with children present.[1] Children can also burden the court system by disrupting or delaying proceedings.[2] In addition, children can be negatively impacted by exposure to upsetting or inappropriate topics in the court.[3] The stress placed on children, court users, and courts themselves can be addressed in a few ways. One is through the establishment of free childcare centers in courthouses. Providing free childcare can reduce the burden on parents appearing in court. Providing childcare in the courthouse is not a simple endeavor but it is worth checking out NCSC’s Family Friendly Amenities in the Court considerations and examples . Virtual hearings are also a tactic that can reduce the burden on some parents to appear. So too with alternative court hours, which may allow for a parent to attend court while someone else who is no longer at work tends to the children.
[1] New York State Permanent Commission on Justice for Children, A Good Place for Children (1996).
[2] Id.
[3] Id.