Sacramento County, Calif., prosecutors have taken the unusual step of detaining the teenage victim of a serial rapist.
Victims' rights advocates are joining the 17-year-old foster child's attorneys in arguing that her detention, upheld three times by two superior court judges, could discourage other victims from reporting sexual assaults, reports the Associated Press.
The advocates also say the detention conflicts with laws governing the well-being of foster children, and with Marsy's Law, a victims' rights initiative approved by California voters in November 2008.
The victim has been a no-show at two prior court hearings.
