US Laws, Codes, Statutes & Cases

     626.561 Interviews with child abuse victims. 

    Subdivision 1.    Policy.  It is the policy of this 
 state to encourage adequate and accurate documentation of the 
 number and content of interviews conducted with alleged child 
 abuse victims during the course of a child abuse assessment, 
 criminal investigation, or prosecution, and to discourage 
 interviews that are unnecessary, duplicative, or otherwise not 
 in the best interests of the child. 

    Subd. 2.    Definitions.  As used in this section: 

    (a) "child abuse" means physical or sexual abuse as defined 
 in section 626.556, subdivision 2; 

    (b) "government employee" means an employee of a state or 
 local agency, and any person acting as an agent of a state or 
 local agency; 

    (c) "interview" means a statement of an alleged child abuse 
 victim which is given or made to a government employee during 
 the course of a child abuse assessment, criminal investigation, 
 or prosecution; and 

    (d) "record" means an audio or videotape recording of an 
 interview, or a written record of an interview. 

    Subd. 3.    Record required.  Whenever an interview is 
 conducted, the interviewer must make a record of the interview.  
 The record must contain the following information: 

    (1) the date, time, place, and duration of the interview; 

    (2) the identity of the persons present at the interview; 
 and 

    (3) if the record is in writing, a summary of the 
 information obtained during the interview. 

    The records shall be maintained by the interviewer in 
 accordance with applicable provisions of section 626.556, 
 subdivision 11 and chapter 13. 

    Subd. 4.    Guidelines on tape recording of interviews.  
 Every county attorney's office shall be responsible for 
 developing written guidelines on the tape recording of 
 interviews by government employees who conduct child abuse 
 assessments, criminal investigations, or prosecutions.  The 
 guidelines are public data as defined in section 13.02, 
 subdivision 14. 

    HIST: 1985 c 286 s 21 

Copyright 2005 by the Office of Revisor of Statutes, State of Minnesota.