In arizona does the victim of a domestic violence case have to testify in court against the defendent?
if they don't can the defendent still be prosecuted? can the victim get the charges dropped against the defendent?
Answer:
Legally, a victim is nothing more than a witness to a crime, so a prosecutor could force a victim to testify if he really wanted to. However, in the interest of fairness and expediency, this isn't usually done. The court will usually let a victim decide whether to drop charges against the defendant because making it's case would typically be much more difficult without the victim's full cooperation. And most legal professionals do feel that the victim should have some say in the matter, but that decision is ultimately up to the court. It could, for instance, decide to press charges anyway in the interest of public safety (i.e. if the court feels that the defendant is a serious danger to other people as well as the current victim).
You need to contact your prosecuting office with these questions. Do not let yourself be used as a punching bag! This is what will happen if you get the charges dropped. Some states do not allow charges to be dropped.
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