Role of the Victim in the Criminal Trial

• NCJ Number: 140978
• Author(s): V Zissiades
• Date Published: 1989
• Length: 19 pages
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Presentation
• Language: Hebrew
• Country: Greece
• Note: Paper presented at the Second Congress of the Swiss Association of Criminal Law, Athens, November 28-29, 1987

Annotation

This paper examines the role of the victim in the Greek Code of Criminal Procedure.

Abstract

In Greek law, the role of the victim in the opening phases of the trial is relatively active because the victim is considered to be a guard at the entrance to the penal system. In some circumstances, the victim must lodge a complaint before the prosecutor can take action; in some cases, the victim's initiative reinforces the prosecutor's actions. Furthermore, victims can also initiate civil action which parallels and supports the criminal trial. To strengthen the victim's role even more, Greece should adopt the recommendations of the European Council which encourages (1) a reconciliation effort between victim and offender in minor offenses, especially if the victim does not want to testify on this painful experience, and (2) a closer collaboration between police and victim as well as the establishment of a police for criminal investigation.