Unmittelbarer Opferzeugenschutz

The book presents the procedural possibilities of recorded video testimonies in criminal proceedings for child victim witnesses under the Witness Protection Act of 1998. The author formulates a surprising and provocative thesis: the protection of victim witnesses and the interests of the accused in criminal proceedings are not insurmountable opposites. Rather, it is in the interest of truth-finding to fundamentally limit the collection of evidence from child victim witnesses to a single, as close to the event as possible, video testimony. This makes a criminal proceeding more effective in creating legal peace and clarifying the allegations, and is thus compatible with the interests of the accused. This perspective initiates a definitive paradigm shift in criminal proceedings towards the protection of victim witnesses and is relevant in the current context of legal and political debates on reform.