Admisibilidad de declaraciones de niños menores de doce años

Explicación Simple

Esta ley permite que las declaraciones de niños menores de doce años se usen en juicios. Para que su testimonio sea válido, debe grabarse y el niño tiene que testificar en el juicio.

Es como si un niño hiciera un dibujo de algo que vio; si el dibujo está bien hecho y se le pregunta sobre él, puede ayudar a contar lo que pasó.

Ejemplo Práctico

Imagina que una niña llamada Sofía vio cómo su vecino cometía un robo. La policía la entrevista y graba lo que dice. Luego, en el juicio, Sofía testifica sobre lo que vio, y su declaración grabada se usa para ayudar a resolver el caso.

Texto Original del Estatuto (Inglés)

SECTION 17-23-175. Admissibility of out-of-court statement of child under twelve; determination of trustworthiness; notice to adverse party. (A) In a general sessions court proceeding or a delinquency proceeding in family court, an out-of-court statement of a child is admissible if: (1) the statement was given in response to questioning conducted during an investigative interview of the child; (2) an audio and visual recording of the statement is preserved on film, videotape, or other electronic means, except as provided in subsection (F); (3) the child testifies at the proceeding and is subject to cross- examination on the elements of the offense and the making of the out-of-court statement; and (4) the court finds, in a hearing conducted outside the presence of the jury, that the totality of the circumstances surrounding the making of the statement provides particularized guarantees of trustworthiness. (B) In determining whether a statement possesses particularized guarantees of trustworthiness, the court may consider, but is not limited to, the following factors: (1) whether the statement was elicited by leading questions; (2) whether the interviewer has been trained in conducting investigative interviews of children; (3) whether the statement represents a detailed account of the alleged offense; (4) whether the statement has internal coherence; and (5) sworn testimony of any participant which may be determined as necessary by the court. (C) For purposes of this section, a child is: (1) a person who is under the age of twelve years at the time of the making of the statement or who functions cognitively, adaptively, or developmentally under the age of twelve at the time of making the statement; and (2) a person who is the alleged victim of, or witness to, a criminal a