A veces, en juicios de delitos sexuales, la audiencia inicial puede cerrarse al público. Esto se hace para proteger a las personas involucradas, como la víctima o un testigo, si se piensa que su seguridad o bienestar podría estar en riesgo.
Es como cuando en una reunión familiar se habla de un tema delicado y se pide que los niños salgan de la sala para que no escuchen cosas que podrían incomodarlos.
Imagina que Ana es víctima de un delito y debe testificar en la audiencia preliminar. Si el juez cree que Ana se sentirá incómoda o asustada al hablar frente a extraños, puede decidir cerrar la audiencia al público para que solo estén presentes los involucrados y así protegerla.
MCL 766.9 - Closure of preliminary examination Sec. 9. (1) Upon the motion of any party, the examining magistrate may close to members of the general public the preliminary examination of a person charged with criminal sexual conduct in any degree, assault with intent to commit criminal sexual conduct, sodomy, gross indecency, or any other offense involving sexual misconduct if all of the following conditions are met: (a) The magistrate determines that the need for protection of a victim, a witness, or the defendant outweighs the public's right of access to the examination. (b) The denial of access to the examination is narrowly tailored to accommodate the interest being protected. (c) The magistrate states on the record the specific reasons for his or her decision to close the examination to members of the general public. (2) In determining whether closure of the preliminary examination is necessary to protect a victim or witness, the magistrate shall consider all of the following: (a) The psychological condition of the victim or witness. (b) The nature of the offense charged against the defendant. (c) The desire of the victim or witness to have the examination closed to the public. (3) The magistrate may close a preliminary examination to protect the right of a party to a fair trial only if both of the following apply: (a) There is a substantial probability that the party's right to a fair trial will be prejudiced by publicity that closure would prevent. (b) Reasonable alternatives to closure cannot adequately protect the party's right to a fair trial.
Se cierra para proteger a la víctima, testigos o al acusado, especialmente si su bienestar podría verse afectado por la atención pública.
El juez, conocido como magistrado, es quien tiene la autoridad para decidir si se cierra la audiencia o no.
El juez debe considerar la protección de la víctima o testigo, la naturaleza del delito y su deseo de que la audiencia sea privada.
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