P.R. Laws tit. 25, § 972
It is the public policy of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico to offer protection and assistance to victims and witnesses in judicial proceedings elucidated in the courts as well as during the investigations that are carried out, to promote their full cooperation and participation free from intimidation in those proceedings.
In the case of minors who, are victims and witnesses to a crime or offense, it shall always be our intention to make them feel supported and protected throughout the different stages of the judicial procedures. Given the fact that in the last decade the number of cases in which minors are victims or witnesses of crimes or offenses has increased, and that the investigation which concems them tends to be more complex and entails a great number of human resources, it is necessary to establish the most rigorous interagency coordination and the greatest flexibility possible in order to reduce any psychological trauma that said procedures may cause to them, as well as to take protective measures to prevent them from feeling intimidated in the course of the same. In this manner, we shall not only promote their participation in the judicial procedures but we shall also ensure that they shall feel supported and protected during the entire process.
History —July 9, 1986, No. 77, p. 249, § 1; July 29, 1998, No. 184, § 1.