- I was a victim of crime: consequences and reactions
- The rights of victims of crime
- Right to information
- Right to receive acknowledgement of the complaint
- Right to translation
- Right to victim support services
- Right to be heard
- Rights in the event of a decision not to charge the defendant
- Right to mediation
- Right to legal information and protection
- Right to reimbursement of expenses
- Right to the return of property
- Right to compensation
- Right to protection
- Right to privacy
- Rights of victims resident in another EU member state
- Criminal proceedings
- Who’s who in criminal proceedings
- Victim (Injured Party)
- Judge
- Prosecutor
- Pre-trial investingation officer
- Court secretary
- Court volunteer
- Victim’s lawyer
- Legal representative of an injured party (victim)
- Accompanying person of an injured party (victim)
- Victim support worker
- Suspect and defendant
- Defense lawyer
- Witness
- Experts and specialists
- Interpreter
- Psychologist
- Representative of state institution on protection of children rights
- Civil claimant and civil defendant
Pre-trial investingation officer
Pre-trial investigation is the first stage of criminal procedure devoted to gathering of evidence that would be necessary to hold a trial. Pre-trial investigation is led and supervised by a prosecutor, however most of the actions are performed by pre-trial investigation officers. Usually pre-trial investigation officer is the one that injured parties (victims) are in constant contact with. In most cases pre-trial investigations are performed by police officers. However the laws establish that pre-trial investigations can also be performed by other institutions, such as State Border Guard Service under the Ministry of the Interior, Special Investigation Service of the Republic of Lithuania, Financial Crime Investigation Service under the Ministry of the Interior, and some others. Prosecutors can also perform pre-trial investigations fully or partially themselves.
Pre-trial investigation officers decide whether the pre-trial investigation shall be commenced (however they cannot decline to start the pre-trial investigation, this decision can only be taken by the chief of the pre-trial investigation institution or a prosecutor).
They also usually perform all actions of pre-trial investigations: question injured parties, witnesses, and suspects, take samples of various materials (blood, saliva, clothing, etc.) for forensic examination, organize face-to-face confrontations, etc. In the end of a pre-trial investigation, the last word belongs to the prosecutor – only he or she can take decisions either to terminate investigation or to present charges against the culprit and to forward the case file to court. The functions of pre-trial officers end there. They can participate in court hearings, however they are considered to be witnesses and not state officials there.