“Victim-centered” approaches, also known as “trauma-informed” or “Start By Believing,” are gaining wider acceptance among police officers, prosecutors, and even judges in cases involving allegations of sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse:

• Investigative bias by police officers has been linked to 35% of all wrongful convictions.  But the International Association of Chiefs of Police makes the claim that “Victim-centered, trauma-informed approaches to crime can support victim recovery and engagement with the criminal justice system.” 
• Prosecutors increasingly are invoking victim-centered theories. One of the most common theories is the complainant experienced “tonic immobility,” resulting in the person being unable to resist an impending assault. This claim has been refuted by the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
• Judges are being urged to embrace victim-centered philosophy, as well.  The website of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, for example, reveals, “The NCJFCJ’s work with courts is informed by a focus on trauma using a universal precautions approach that assumes children and families involved in the court system have experienced some form of trauma that may be mitigated through court-based interventions.”

Policies that “assume” a party has been traumatized serve to vitiate the presumption of innocence and harm impartiality.    

SEE: https://www.saveservices.org/2021/02/pr-new-resource-for-defense-attorneys-mounting-an-effective-defense-in-proceedings-tainted-by-victim-centered-philosophy/