Polish Ministry of Justice seeks to simplify and standardize instructions for defendants, victims, and witnesses in criminal court proceedings.
Objective of the Amendments
The first main objective of the amendment to the Code of Criminal Procedure is to introduce regulations defining the scope of instructions for the accused, the victim, and the witness at the court proceedings stage. The second is to grant statutory authorization to the Minister of Justice to determine, through regulations, the models of written instructions on rights and obligations for these parties.
Expanded Instructions for Detained Individuals
Instructions for detained and suspected persons will be expanded to include information on the right and deadline for claiming compensation and damages in case of clearly unlawful detention or arrest. The instructions will also be made “adequate” for persons under 18 years of age.
Specific Areas of Modification
Modifications will affect instructions for defendants regarding indictment service, court summons, and hearing notifications, as well as instructions for parties and victims regarding default judgment service. These changes are proposed through amendments to specific articles of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
Implementation Timeline
The Ministry of Justice plans to publish 10 instruction models with translations on its website after the law is enacted. The adoption of the project is planned for the third quarter of this year.