Iowa Code § 915.20A — IA Code / Title XVI / Chapter 915 / Section 915.20A
Victim counselor privilege.
Status: in_force

(1) As used in this section:

(1) (a) “Confidential communication” means information shared between a crime victim and a victim counselor within the counseling relationship, and includes all information received by the counselor and any advice, report, or working paper given to or prepared by the counselor in the course of the counseling relationship with the victim. “Confidential information” is confidential information which, so far as the victim is aware, is not disclosed to a third party with the exception of a person present in the consultation for the purpose of furthering the interest of the victim, a person to whom disclosure is reasonably necessary for the transmission of the information, or a person with whom disclosure is necessary for accomplishment of the purpose for which the counselor is consulted by the victim.

(1) (b) “Crime victim center” means any office, institution, agency, or crisis center offering assistance to victims of crime and their families through crisis intervention, accompaniment during medical and legal proceedings, and follow-up counseling.

(1) (c) “Victim” means a person who consults a victim counselor for the purpose of securing advice, counseling, or assistance concerning a mental, physical, or emotional condition caused by a violent crime committed against the person. “Victim” includes a person subjected to human trafficking.

(1) (d) “Victim counselor” means a person who is engaged in a crime victim center, is certified as a counselor by the crime victim center, and is under the control of a direct services supervisor of a crime victim center, whose primary purpose is the rendering of advice, counseling, and assistance to the victims of crime. To qualify as a “victim counselor” under this section, the person must also have completed at least twenty hours of training provided by the center in which the person is engaged, by the Iowa organization of victim assistance, by the Iowa coalition against sexual assault, or by the Iowa coalition against domestic violence, which shall include but not be limited to the dynamics of victimization, substantive laws relating to violent crime, human trafficking, sexual assault, and domestic violence, crisis intervention techniques, communication skills, working with diverse populations, an overview of the state criminal justice system, information regarding pertinent hospital procedures, and information regarding state and community resources for victims of crime.

(2) A victim counselor shall not be examined or required to give evidence in any civil or criminal proceeding as to any confidential communication made by a victim to the counselor, nor shall a clerk, secretary, stenographer, or any other employee who types or otherwise prepares or manages the confidential reports or working papers of a victim counselor be required to produce evidence of any such confidential communication, unless the victim waives this privilege in writing or disclosure of the information is compelled by a court pursuant to subsection 7. Under no circumstances shall the location of a crime victim center or the identity of the victim counselor be disclosed in any civil or criminal proceeding.

(3) If a victim is deceased or has been declared to be incompetent, this privilege specified in subsection 2 may be waived by the guardian of the victim or by the personal representative of the victim’s estate.

(4) A minor may waive the privilege under this section unless, in the opinion of the court, the minor is incapable of knowingly and intelligently waiving the privilege, in which case the parent or guardian of the minor may waive the privilege on the minor’s behalf if the parent or guardian is not the defendant and does not have such a relationship with the defendant that the parent or guardian has an interest in the outcome of the proceeding being favorable to the defendant.

(5) The privilege under this section does not apply in matters of proof concerning the chain of custody of evidence, in matters of proof concerning the physical appearance of the victim at the time of the injury or the counselor’s first contact with the victim after the injury, or where the counselor has reason to believe that the victim has given perjured testimony and the defendant or the state has made an offer of proof that perjury may have been committed.

(6) The failure of a counselor to testify due to this section shall not give rise to an inference unfavorable to the cause of the state or the cause of the defendant.

(7) Upon the motion of a party, accompanied by a written offer of proof, a court may compel disclosure of certain information if the court determines that all of the following conditions are met:

(7) (a) The information sought is relevant and material evidence of the facts and circumstances involved in an alleged criminal act which is the subject of a criminal proceeding.

(7) (b) The probative value of the information outweighs the harmful effect, if any, of disclosure on the victim, the counseling relationship, and the treatment services.

(7) (c) The information cannot be obtained by reasonable means from any other source.

(8) In ruling on a motion under subsection 7, the court, or a different judge, if the motion was filed in a criminal proceeding to be tried to the court, shall adhere to the following procedure:

(8) (a) The court may require the counselor from whom disclosure is sought or the victim claiming the privilege, or both, to disclose the information in chambers out of the presence and hearing of all persons except the victim and any other persons the victim is willing to have present.

(8) (b) If the court determines that the information is privileged and not subject to compelled disclosure, the information shall not be disclosed by any person without the consent of the victim.

(8) (c) If the court determines that certain information may be subject to disclosure, as provided in subsection 7, the court shall so inform the party seeking the information and shall order a subsequent hearing out of the presence of the jury, if any, at which the parties shall be allowed to examine the counselor regarding the information which the court has determined may be subject to disclosure. The court may accept other evidence at that time.

(8) (d) At the conclusion of a hearing under paragraph “c”, the court shall determine which information, if any, shall be disclosed and may enter an order describing the evidence which may be introduced by the moving party and prescribing the line of questioning which may be permitted. The moving party may then offer evidence pursuant to the court order. However, no victim counselor is subject to exclusion under rule of evidence 5.615.

(9) This section does not relate to the admission of evidence of the victim’s past sexual behavior which is strictly subject to rule of evidence 5.412.

98 Acts, ch 1090, §16, 84; 2008 Acts, ch 1032, §922024 Acts, ch 1175, §3