Criminal Charges / Crimes

Generally, anyone who has been the victim of a crime may report that crime to the police. While reporting crimes that are far in the past may make pressing charges difficult, domestic violence victims may often wait to report out of fear of the abuser. In general, even if it’s been a few days or more since the crime, a victim can still report the abuse to the authorities. Usually, when a person makes a criminal report, the police will listen to the victim and take a look at whatever evidence s/he has.

If the police believe that a crime has been committed, they can make an arrest or if they are unsure whether or not there is enough evidence to arrest, they can bring the case to the prosecutor in the county where the crime took place. The prosecutor can then decide if there’s enough evidence to go forward with a criminal case. Generally, the sooner someone reports a crime, the easier it may be for the police to investigate and find evidence, such as taking photos of injuries or speaking to witnesses.

Even if someone isn’t sure about pressing charges, it is usually a good idea to at least take photos of any injuries in case proof is needed in the future. And it’s important to take the photos in a way that shows the date. So, for example, a person may take some of the photos while holding that day’s front page of the newspaper to show the date (and then save the newspaper). Or a person can take the photos and then email them to themselves or to another person so that the email clearly shows the date the photos were sent.