Ensuring the rights of victims during the investigation of crimes against life and health committed by members of youth informal groups (associations)

The article addresses specific issues regarding the protection of victims’ rights during the investigation of crimes against life and health committed by members of youth informal groups (associations). It emphasizes that modern criminology’s theoretical and applied research is focused on finding optimal methods for investigating crimes committed by members of such groups. It is highlighted that in the structure of criminal offenses committed by youth informal groups, crimes against life and health rank second, with nearly one-third involving serious and moderately severe bodily injuries. This is because group violence tends to be more brutal than individual acts, and in all criminal proceedings involving violent crimes, such offenses were committed in groups. There is a noted lack of works dedicated to protecting the rights of victims during the investigation of crimes against life and health committed by members of youth informal groups (associations). The research focuses on understanding the mechanisms that ensure the effective protection of the rights and legitimate interests of victims, analyzing legislative gaps that significantly complicate or even prevent their effective protection. The analysis of international legal principles and standards identified a set of measures that may enable a victim-centered approach in investigating this category of crimes: raising awareness and providing immediate legal, social, and medical assistance (including informing victims of their procedural rights, such as the right to protection and compensation, and access to specialized support services); ensuring physical and psychological protection of victims; employing special interrogation tactics to minimize secondary victimization (investigators should consider the age, psychological condition, health status, and location of the interrogation - whether at the victim’s home, healthcare facility, or investigator’s office); using audiovisual recordings to reduce the number of interrogations; and ensuring compensation for damages.