Victims of crimes and the new institutional framework.

The Uruguayan Criminal Procedure Code

Abstract

The implementation of the Criminal Procedure Code in force today implied the abandonment of the dominant inquisitive model in the criminal procedural justice system to adopt an accusatory, oral, and public model which places the victims of crimes in a hitherto unknown place. This article focuses on the analysis of the construction of a new institutional framework in the Uruguayan justice system which is aimed at providing care and protection to victims and witnesses of crimes, thus guaranteeing their effective access to justice and effective protection of their rights. The proposed analysis is based on the study of the documentary material produced by the Victims and Witnesses Unit of the Attorney General’s Office (March 2017-July 2021).