Early production of evidence in child sex crimes

validation of special testimony in the jurisprudence of the Superior Court of Justice (STJ)

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.12662/2447-6641oj.v23i44.p59-81.2025

Keywords:

comprehensive protection, justice system, procedural guarantees, secondary victimization, specialized listening

Abstract

Context: The right to evidence in Brazilian criminal proceedings is a fundamental guarantee for the effective implementation of adversarial proceedings and the right to a full defense, ensuring that the prosecution and defense can support their arguments on equal terms. In exceptional cases, given the risk of evidence being lost, its early production is permitted. In sexual crimes committed against children and adolescents, the need for differentiated evidentiary treatment is recognized, which attributes special relevance to the victim's testimony and establishes protection mechanisms, such as the special testimony provided for in Law No. 13.431, of April 4, 2017.

Objectives: The general objective of this research is to analyze the consolidation of the special testimony of child and adolescent victims or witnesses of sexual crimes in the jurisprudence of the Superior Court of Justice (STJ), in light of the early production of evidence. Specific objectives include: examining the legal aspects of the early production of evidence in Brazilian criminal proceedings; understanding the valuation of the victim's testimony in crimes of rape of a vulnerable person; This study aims to examine how the jurisprudence of the Superior Court of Justice (STJ) has legitimized special testimony as a valid means of evidence.

Method: This is an applied research, employing a technical-bibliographical procedure, a qualitative approach, and descriptive-explanatory objectives. It is based on doctrinal, legislative, and jurisprudential analysis, with particular attention to STJ Bulletin No. 767 (2023) and recent rulings that consolidate the validity of special testimony as an anticipated production of evidence.

Results: The results demonstrate that the STJ has recognized the legitimacy of the anticipated production of evidence through special testimony, considering the vulnerability of victims and the risk of memory fading. The analyzed decisions reaffirm the importance of this instrument to avoid revictimization and ensure the effectiveness of the criminal process, observing the principles of necessity, proportionality, and adversarial proceedings.

Conclusions: It is concluded that the consolidation of special testimony in the jurisprudence of the Superior Court of Justice (STJ) represents progress in the protection of the fundamental rights of children and adolescents who are victims of sexual crimes. By validating the early production of evidence, the court harmonizes the comprehensive protection and dignity of the victim with the guarantees of criminal procedure, reinforcing the legitimacy and humanization of criminal prosecution in Brazil.

Author Biographies

Ariel Sousa Santos, Universidade Federal de Sergipe (UFS)

Mestrando em Direito pela Universidade Federal de Sergipe (UFS), com bolsa acadêmica concedida pela Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES). Graduado em Direito pela Universidade Tiradentes (UNIT). São Cristóvão - SE - BR.

Tanise Zago Thomasi, Universidade Federal de Sergipe (UFS)

Professora na Universidade Federal de Sergipe (UFS). Possui graduação em Direito pela Universidade Católica de Pelotas (1999), mestrado em Direito pela Universidade de Caxias do Sul (2009) e doutorado em Direito pelo Centro Universitário de Brasília (2017). Examinadora do Instituto Nacional de Estudos e Pesquisas Educacionais Anísio Teixeira. São Cristóvão - SE - BR.

Downloads

Published

2025-11-11

How to Cite

SANTOS, Ariel Sousa; THOMASI, Tanise Zago. Early production of evidence in child sex crimes: validation of special testimony in the jurisprudence of the Superior Court of Justice (STJ). Revista Opinião Jurídica (Fortaleza), Fortaleza, v. 23, n. 44, p. 59–81, 2025. DOI: 10.12662/2447-6641oj.v23i44.p59-81.2025. Disponível em: https://unichristus.emnuvens.com.br/opiniaojuridica/article/view/5837. Acesso em: 26 jun. 2026.

Issue

Vol. 23 No. 44 (2025)

Section

Artigos Originais

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Ariel Sousa Santos, Tanise Zago Thomasi

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Copyright and Licensing

According to the current submission policy, authors retain the rights to their works and grant the Revista Opinião Jurídica the right of first publication, with commercial rights reserved by the publisher under the terms of the non-commercial license used. Revista Opinião Jurídica uses a Creative Commons license. The works published are under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC-BY-NC-SA).

This license enables reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator. If you remix, adapt, or build upon the material, you must license the modified material under identical terms. CC BY-NC-SA includes the following elements:

 BY: credit must be given to the creator.
 NC: Only noncommercial uses of the work are permitted.
 SA: Adaptations must be shared under the same terms.

RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE CONTENT

By submitting an article, the author(s) declare to have sole responsibility for the content of the piece and is(are), therefore, responsible for any judicial or extrajudicial measures referring to it.

1. In case of joint authorship, all authors are considered collectively responsible, except when proved otherwise.