West Virginia § 61-11A-9 Sexual Assault Victims" Bill of Rights

West Virginia Statutes

§ 61-11A-9 — Sexual Assault Victims" Bill of Rights

West Virginia § 61-11A-9

Ch. 61CRIMES AND THEIR PUNISHMENT

Art. 11AVICTIM PROTECTION ACT OF 1984

This text of West Virginia § 61-11A-9 (Sexual Assault Victims" Bill of Rights) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering West Virginia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook

W. Va. Code § 61-11A-9 (2026).

Text

(a)In addition to those rights afforded victims of crime by other provisions of this code, a sexual assault victim has the following rights:

(1)The right to a personal representative of the victim’s choice to accompany him or her to a hospital or other health care facility and to attend proceedings concerning the alleged assault, including police interviews and court proceedings: Provided, That nothing in this subsection shall be construed to violate established forensic interview protocols;

(2)The right to receive a forensic medical examination consistent with the provisions of §61-8B-1(12) of this code conducted by a qualified medical provider in accordance with best practices, taking into consideration the age of the victim and circumstances of the offense;

(3)The right to have a

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(a) In addition to those rights afforded victims of crime by other provisions of this code, a sexual assault victim has the following rights:

(1) The right to a personal representative of the victim’s choice to accompany him or her to a hospital or other health care facility and to attend proceedings concerning the alleged assault, including police interviews and court proceedings: Provided, That nothing in this subsection shall be construed to violate established forensic interview protocols;

(2) The right to receive a forensic medical examination consistent with the provisions of §61-8B-1(12) of this code conducted by a qualified medical provider in accordance with best practices, taking into consideration the age of the victim and circumstances of the offense;

(3) The right to have a sexual assault evidence collection kit tested and preserved by the investigating law-enforcement agency;

(4) The right to be informed by the investigating law-enforcement agency of any results of the forensic medical examination, if such disclosure would not impede or compromise an ongoing investigation;

(5) The right to be informed in writing of the policies governing the forensic medical examination and preservation of evidence obtained from the examination;

(6) The right to receive, upon his or her written request, notification by United States mail, restricted delivery, to his or her last known address, from the custodian of the evidence obtained from the forensic medical examination no fewer than 60 days prior to the date of the intended destruction or disposal of the evidence: Provided, That notice to a victim which meets the requirements of this subdivision, whether received by the addressee or not, meets all notice requirements imposed by this section;

(7) The right, upon his or her written request, to have the evidence obtained from the forensic medical examination preserved for an additional period not to exceed 10 years; and

(8) The right to be informed of the rights afforded a victim pursuant to this section.

(b) As used in this section, "sexual assault" means any sexual act proscribed by §61-8-1 et seq., §61-8B-1 et seq., and §61-8D-1 et seq. of this code.