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The newest member of the Wayne County prosecutor's office is a canine court advocate

To make courtrooms less scary, the Wayne County prosecutor's office in Michigan announced the addition of a four-legged staff member, Jellybean.

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Chief of Information and Technology Mark Hindelang adopted the half-black Labrador and half-Golden Retriever in February 2023.

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Jellybean underwent six weeks of training to be a part of the Canine Advocacy Program managed by CARE House of Oakland County and was certified in April.

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Some of the skills she needs to acquire are not reacting to courtroom distractions, walking on a lead without pulling, and remaining in a sit/stay position.

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Jellybean goes to work every day with Hindelang while her handler child advocate Jamie Bucholtz provides her with training twice a week along with work opportunities.

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Jellybean has had a calming effect on nervous and vulnerable victims and witnesses who come to court to discuss difficult experiences and facts.

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So far she has been present in pretrial victims of all ages including children, sexual assault and domestic violence survivors, and homicide witnesses.

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It had been Prosecutor Kym Worthy's long-standing goal to add such an advocate in court and says her services have been "invaluable."

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