Implementing victim-centred criminal policy in domestic and gender-based violence investigations: evidence from a multidisciplinary model for Summary Witness Statements

Gender-based and domestic violence cases often require time-critical victim questioning while safeguarding against secondary victimization and memory contamination. This creates a challenge for criminal justice systems seeking to combine procedural efficiency with victim-centred interviewing. This study examines the implementation of a multidisciplinary model for Summary Witness Statements (SWS) under Italy’s Red Code (‘Codice Rosso’) framework, assessing timeliness, procedural quality, and perceived added value in early victim questioning. Data were collected through a structured monitoring system, including 369 auxiliary psychologist missions and 412 SWS, with operational indicators and independent ratings provided by auxiliary psychologists and Judicial Police officers. Findings indicate that most interventions occurred within three days, that minors were frequently involved, and that both professional groups assigned high ratings to effective listening, spontaneous communication, protection of memory integrity, and multidisciplinary collaboration. Quadratic weighted kappa coefficients showed substantial inter-rater agreement across key procedural dimensions. The study contributes implementation-oriented evidence regarding a multidisciplinary approach to early victim questioning in domestic and gender-based violence cases, based on what is, to our knowledge, the first formal agreement in Italy integrating a stable group of public health psychologists into early investigative procedures, thereby supporting a more coordinated implementation of victim-centred criminal policy.