Hatty is Cook County State Attorney’s Office latest hire who learned the ropes at a men’s prison in Illinois.
Now, the 2-year-old black Labrador will go to work as a trauma dog to help comfort victims of sexual assault and domestic violence — specifically children.
“Hatty is the 1st facility dog ever in our office,” the State Attorney’s Office said. “She will be in court with child victims of sexual assault, handling about 150-200 cases a year.”
Hatty was sworn in last week.
#ICYMI: “The newest hire at the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office is a 2-year-old black Labrador trained by men’s prison inmates in southwestern Illinois. The goal is to help sexual assault victims cope with the worst moments of their lives.”
https://t.co/NtKP82cgZC— Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office (@cookcountysao) October 30, 2019
It’s an innovative approach.
But it works to get to the heart of physical, social and emotional impact of trauma to victims, according to the office.
“We are proud to have a resource like Hatty to provide a source of comfort for victims as they navigate this difficult process,” the office added.
A trauma-informed approach begins with understanding the physical, social, and emotional impact of trauma on the individual. We are proud to have a resource like Hatty to provide a source of comfort for victims as they navigate this difficult process.
— Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office (@cookcountysao) October 30, 2019
Hatty is an important addition to the team, according to State Attorney Kim Foxx.
Meet Hatty, the newest member of the @cookcountysao! Hatty is a facility dog who will be joining the Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Unit and comforting child sexual assault victims as they navigate the criminal justice system.
https://t.co/KGIOgCLX0z pic.twitter.com/15MlD9Uy5X— State’s Attorney Kim Foxx (@SAKimFoxx) October 29, 2019
A trauma-informed and victim-centered model is one of the many ways our office works to better serve victims and witnesses. pic.twitter.com/2z5W2fp1Fl
— State’s Attorney Kim Foxx (@SAKimFoxx) October 29, 2019
Foxx understands the need first-hand.
As Chicago magazine pointed out in a Jan. 2019 profile:
“Sometimes fighting through tears, she talked about, among other things, hiding in the bathtub from stray gunfire when she was growing up in Cabrini-Green, being sexually assaulted at age 5 by a relative, having to move to a Salvation Army homeless shelter after her mother was suspended from her job, buying an Amtrak ticket to Carbondale to talk her way into a spot at Southern Illinois University, traveling with a bodyguard these days because of death threats, and, not least of all, suddenly having a place at tables where she never expected to sit.”
Foxx has certainly been through a lot.
Survivors of sexual assault deserve support and justice, whether the abuser is famous to many or just to one. As a survivor myself, I’m putting systems in place to make the @cookcountysao as victim-centered and trauma-informed as possible.https://t.co/hPYdpoihWK
— State’s Attorney Kim Foxx (@SAKimFoxx) October 30, 2019
But now, children in Cook County will have a helping hand, or rather, paw to see them through.
Coming to this work with compassion and understanding of victims’ experiences helps to ensure the system is fair and just to everyone. Hatty was trained to help provide comfort and relaxation while victims are in the courthouse or while they are giving their testimony. pic.twitter.com/kPgs0pyb7R
— State’s Attorney Kim Foxx (@SAKimFoxx) October 29, 2019
It’s a tough, but important job.
And Hatty’s just the dog for it.
Photos Kim Foxx/Cook County State Attorney/Twitter
