The Use of Therapy Dogs to Support Court Users in the Waiting Room

Abstract

The use of animals to support individuals’ well-being has been documented across a variety of disciplines. It has been over a decade since dogs have also started to be used within the criminal justice setting in America to support vulnerable people, but this practice is not common in the United Kingdom. Globally, empirical evidence to support the benefits of utilizing dogs within the criminal justice system is lacking. The present interdisciplinary study aimed to explore one aspect of the criminal justice journey, the impact a therapy dog can have on UK court users waiting to give evidence at a magistrate’s court. One hundred and seventeen court users and eight court staff were interviewed to explore their perceptions of a therapy dog service offered at a local magistrate’s court. Using thematic analysis, three main themes were discovered: (1) context of the court environment, (2) effect of the therapy dog on well-being, and (3) issues relating to therapy dogs in court waiting areas. Results suggest that therapy dogs have a number of benefits to court users. Long-term, the human–canine interaction positively translates into the court waiting room environment, and so it should be further explored, evaluated, and then appropriately implemented in the UK’s legal system.