What to do when your a teen witness?

Question

hi im doing a article for Vox news paper and i wanted to know ' What are some things that a young person should do when they are a witness of a crime? if you could give tips and a little insight that would be very helpful

Answer 1

Witnesses to a crime http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witness should contact police ASAP. Time is of the essence in establishing credibility. Most of us just don't remember details very long. Hurry! Police will investigate and, if witness's account proves credible, witness will be likely re-interviewed by the local prosecutor, who will examine the evidence, establish credibility and so on. If evidence is deemed admissible and witness will be expected to attend at court, prosecutor will explain various court procedures so that witness is prepared. This would also include prepping witness for cross-examination by defense atty. In some cases, witness may require some sort of protection. If so, prosecutor will arrange.

The rules of evidence these days usually prevent dramatic Perry Mason-type surprises in court. Both sides are now required to share information as it arises; otherwise, defense argues that justice was impeded by not having proper equal access to key information necessary to prepare a defense. There is, as you can imagine from all this, a fine line between witness prep and witness coaching, and all of these things are activiely 'discussed' in court by all concerned.

To prepare for all this, witness should as soon as possible after the 'event' write a dated (including time) brief account of what was witnessed to answer at least W5 - who, what, where, when, why and how much, if relevant. Fill in with details if possible. Explain wit's physical position and state of mind at the scene: 'I was alone, across the street in the well-lit doorway of Starbucks immediately adjacent to the scene (provide address or locators) of the accident between a blue Mazda and a black dune buggy June 4/08 at 709 pm., the last time I checked my watch.' That sort of thing. The more certain and organized and consistent the reporting is, the more credible the report and the witness. Don't try to characterize the facts - just list 'em. Think Dragnet. If you're not a coroner you don't know how he died. All you can say is that you saw X fire weapon at Y, Y fell, clutching bleeding guts, did not get up again. Ambulance arrived, etc.

Answer 2

The credibility of the witness will be examined to prove that he is telling the truth.