Who think that Shawn Hornbeck would have a better chance if he was put into a witness protection program?

ric makes some good points. Another reason the two boys and their families do not meet is probably so that they will not "contaminate" each other's testimony at the trial. This is a delicate issue when different people are witnesses in the same crime; if they talk to each other about it, they may unwittingly influence each other's testimony. Communication within the family is inevitable and necessary, of course.