More than 20 years ago, the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada (LACSN), along with Clark County’s Department of Family Services, District Attorney’s Office, and Department of Juvenile Services, began an effort to minimize the trauma experienced by children called to testify in Clark County courts when these children were alleged to be victims of abuse and neglect.

Annually, over 25,000 children in Clark County are referred to Child Protective Services for suspected abuse and/or neglect. When children are victims of abuse, legal professionals rely heavily on their testimony to provide corroborating evidence.

However, research has shown children’s memories are significantly impaired in courtroom settings. Additionally, children’s heart rates have been shown to reach over 240 beats per minute when testifying in court room settings about allegations of abuse, indicative of the trauma of testifying.

Given the number of children in Clark County who are alleged victims of abuse, the need for these children to be able to tell their stories in court without being emotionally re-traumatized was urgent.

As discussions between LACSN and Clark County progressed, the group turned to UNLV’s William S. Boyd School of Law and the College of Education for assistance. And, this is where Rebecca Nathanson, a member of the law school’s faculty and an associate professor in the department of educational psychology, leadership, and higher education, entered the conversation.

“240 beats per minute? No. We need to fix that,” Nathanson recalls saying about the stress and physiological response many children have to courtroom setting.

She quickly turned the conversations into an partnership focused on finding a solution: the creation of Kids’ Court School, an evidence-based program serving children between the ages of 4 and 17 with impending legal proceedings.

Established in fall 2002, Kids’ Court School educates children and youth about the court process and teaches children strategies to minimize the potentially traumatic effects of the courtroom. The program also promotes research opportunities related to child witnesses and serves as a training program regarding best practices for educating children and youth about the judicial system.

Participants attend two hour-long Kids’ Court sessions prior to going to court, and a standardized, evidence-based curriculum is used to teach children about court and reduce their anxiety.

To date, over 1,700 child witnesses have been referred to the program and given an opportunity to have a voice in court, and the trauma typically associated with their testimony has been reduced.

Not only has the program been a tremendous benefit to its young participants, but there has also been a significant benefit to the community and to the partners involved.

LACSN and Clark County, as well as many judges and attorneys, report that children who attend Kids’ Court School gain strategies to reduce anxiety when testifying in court and are much more comfortable testifying. The program has helped the justice system discover the truth which, ultimately, decreases child abuse and neglect, and benefits our entire community as a whole.

Christine Smith, director of community initiatives and outreach at the LACSN, noted “For over 20 years, Dr. Nathanson and her students have provided abused children with the necessary tools and strategies to minimize the psychological and interpersonal consequences of testifying about abuse allegations. Her work has a lifelong impact on children’s lives and that benefits all of us.”

UNLV students have benefited from the program in many ways, too.

Over two decades, the program has grown from the involvement of a handful of UNLV students each year to over 40 education and law students. The Kids’ Court School has instilled a profound sense of community service in hundreds of UNLV graduates, allowing them to have a positive impact on the lives of abused and neglected children each week. 

One graduate of UNLV’s law school has also helped establish The Kids’ Court School at the National Judicial College and at the University of Nevada, Reno. Several students have stated they chose UNLV so they could participate in the Kids’ Court School program.

Today, the benefits of Nathanson’s two decades of effort no longer stop at UNLV’s and Clark County’s borders.

The program is recognized as a best practice nationally, and many cities across the nation have now adopted their own Kids Court Schools programs to serve the most vulnerable members of their communities.

The Kids’ Court School is the recipient of a Bright Idea Award from Harvard University, a Senatorial Commendation, and an Innovator of the Year Award from the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges. Additionally, UNLV received a Clark County Juvenile Justice Services Grant and a Nevada State Bar Grant, as well as financial support from the Bernstein Kids’ Court School Fundraiser and several other community organizations.

Nathanson also received an Honorable Mention in the 2023 UNLV Community Engagement Awards cycle for her work. Her work incorporates nearly every aspect of community engagement in higher education by connecting UNLV’s knowledge and resources with those of the public and private sectors in a way that enriches scholarship, research, and creative activity while addressing a critical societal need.

She has also led to the development of other programs. The Kids' Court Competency Program educates youth with delinquency petitions about the adjudication process. The Competency Program addresses an additional community need given recent statutes that require the state to provide remediation services to youth. The Kids' Court Immigration Program assists youth involved in immigration proceedings.

Nathanson continues to advance the community engagement efforts through her directorship of the Office of Youth Rights and Education Justice (YREJ), housed in the College of Education. The YREJ Office is committed to scholarship, professional development, and advocacy work related to youth education and legal rights.

It's safe to say, Nathanson is not done yet. There are still more decades ahead and young hearts to keep beating under 240 beats per minute.