A trip to the courthouse is rarely a pleasant one for most people — especially children.

Thanks to the ingenuity and talent of Cass County’s youngest artists, the Cass County prosecutor’s office is looking to make it a little easier for children asked to testify in court.

In conjunction with this year’s National Crime Victims Rights’ Week, members of the prosecutor’s office crime victims rights unit encouraged Cass County elementary students to submit artwork for the ninth annual “Going to Court” book cover contest. Around 200 students sent in artwork for the contest, with officials using the top 20 submissions in the updated version of the booklet it gives to children who are set to appear in court.

The prosecutor’s office is displaying the artwork inside the Cass County Law and Courts Building this week through Friday. The finalists will be announced during the Thursday, April 20, meeting of the Cass County Board of Commissioners at the county annex in Cassopolis.

Artwork for the contest was created by the students earlier this year, said Cass County Prosecutor Victor Fitz. The drawings depict the students’ interpretation of what a visit the courthouse is like, with many of the pieces showing renditions of the courthouse or a judge sitting at the bench.

The drawings are meant to help children — be they victims or witnesses to a crime — deal with the difficult process of testifying in the courtroom, Fitz said.

“As intimidating as it is for an adult, the experience of coming to a courthouse is even more intense for children,” Fitz said. “It is incumbent on us to make that a little less daunting task for kids. This is one way to achieve that.”

The artwork is used inside the new “Going to Court” booklet, which the victims rights unit gives to children to help familiarize them with the court system and staff, Fitz said. The book contains photos and descriptions of the judges, attorneys and other employees of the courthouse, as well as basic information about how cases work and some terminology they may hear during their testimony, Fitz said.

“It helps them understand the courthouse is a place of justice, not somewhere they should be afraid of,” he said.

The prosecutor’s office has used the booklets for nearly 10 years, based off a suggestion from the Michigan Prosecutor’s Association, Fitz said. The prosecutor decided to add his own twist to the books by asking local students to send in drawings for the book, he said.

“A lot of kids from Cass County have helped a lot of victims and witnesses over the years,” Fitz said.

Seniors at the Cass County COA judged the artwork submissions. The best drawing will be used for the front cover of the booklet, while the other pieces will be used throughout the rest of the book.