California detains teenage victim for failing to appear in court to testify against her suspected rapist

4-16-2012 California:

SAN FRANCISCO — In a case that has pitted law-enforcement officials against advocates of victims' rights, prosecutors in Sacramento County, Calif., have detained a 17-year-old girl for twice failing to appear in court to testify against the man accused of raping her.

The prosecutors say that testimony from the teenager, who twice ran away from a foster home before scheduled court appearances, is critical in the upcoming trial against a man who has a long criminal record and is also suspected of raping at least one other woman. But the teenager's lawyer and victims advocates say the detention would discourage others, especially those who have been sexually assaulted, from coming forward. They described the move as a setback in a state with some of the country's strongest laws protecting victims.

Both sides agree that the detention of a material witness, particularly a juvenile, is extremely rare.

The girl, who has been held in a juvenile detention center since March 23, is scheduled to appear today at a hearing concerning her detention at Sacramento Superior Court. ..For the rest of this story: by Norimitsu Onishi