Utah Courts
URJP Rule 29A (Rules of Juvenile Procedure)
URJP Rule 29A (Rules of Juvenile Procedure)
Rule 29A. Visual Recording of Statement or Testimony of Child Victim or Witness or Sexual or Physical Abuse--Conditions of Admissibility
(a) In any delinquency proceeding or proceeding under Title 80, Chapter 6, Part 5, Transfer to District Court concerning a charge of child abuse or of a sexual offense against a child, the oral statement of a victim or other witness younger than 14 years of age that was recorded prior to the filing of a petition is, upon motion and for good cause shown, admissible as evidence in any court proceeding regarding the offense if all of the following conditions are met:
(1) the child is available to testify and to be cross-examined at trial, either in person or as provided by law, or the child is unavailable to testify at trial, but the minor had a previous opportunity to cross-examine the child concerning the recorded statement, such that the minor's rights of confrontation are not violated;
(2) no attorney for either party is in the child's presence when the statement is recorded;
(3) the recording is visual and aural and is recorded on film or videotape or by other electronic means;
(4) the recording is accurate and has not been altered;
(5) each voice in the recording is identified;
(6) the person conducting the interview of the child in the recording is present at the proceeding and is available to testify and be cross-examined by either party;
(7) the minor and the minor's attorney are provided an opportunity to view the recording before it is shown to the court; and
(8) the court views the recording and determines that it is sufficiently reliable and trustworthy and that the interest of justice will best be served by admission of the statement into evidence.
(b) In any delinquency proceeding or proceeding under Title 80, Chapter 6, Part 5, Transfer to District Court concerning a charge of child abuse or of a sexual offense against a child, the court upon motion of a party and for good cause shown, may order that the testimony of any victim or other witness younger than 14 years of age be taken in a room other than the courtroom. All of the following conditions shall be observed:
(1) Only the judge, attorneys for each party, the testifying child (if any), persons necessary to operate equipment, and a counselor or therapist whose presence contributes to the welfare and emotional well-being of the child may be in the room during the child's testimony. The minor who consents to be hidden from the child's view may also be present unless, the court determines that the child will suffer serious emotional or mental strain if required to testify in the minor's presence, or that the child's testimony will be inherently unreliable if required to testify in the minor's presence. If the court makes that determination, or if the minor consents:
(A) the minor may not be present during the child's testimony;
(B) the court shall ensure that the child cannot hear or see the minor;
(C) the court shall advise the child prior to testifying that the minor is present at the trial and may listen to the child's testimony;
(D) the minor shall be permitted to observe and hear the child's testimony, and the court shall ensure that the minor has a means of two-way telephonic communication with defense counsel during the child's testimony; and
(E) the conditions of a normal court proceeding shall be approximated as nearly as possible.
(2) Only the judge and attorneys may question the child.
(3) As much as possible, persons operating equipment shall be confined to an adjacent room or behind a screen or mirror so the child cannot see or hear them.
(4) If the minor is present with the child during the child's testimony, the court may order that persons operating the closed circuit equipment film both the child and the minor during the child's testimony, so that the court may view both the child and the minor, if that may be arranged without violating other requirements of Subsection (b)(1).
(c) In any delinquency proceeding or proceeding under Title 80, Chapter 6, Part 5, Transfer to District Court concerning a charge of child abuse or of a sexual offense against a child, the court may order, upon motion of a party and for good cause shown, that the testimony of any victim or other witness younger than 14 years of age be taken outside the courtroom and be recorded. That testimony is admissible as evidence, for viewing in any court proceeding regarding the charges if the provisions of Subsection (b) are observed, in addition to the following provisions:
(1) the recording is both visual and aural and recorded on film or videotape or by other electronic means;
(2) the recording is accurate and is not altered;
(3) each voice on the recording is identified; and
(4) each party is given an opportunity to view the recording before it is shown in the courtroom.
(d) If the court orders that the testimony of a child be taken under Subsection (b) or (c), the child may not be required to testify in court at any proceeding where the recorded testimony is used.
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