Emergencies
U.S. Citizen Victims of Crime in Slovenia
The rate of crime in Slovenia is very low, but it is not zero, and American visitors or residents can become victims. The U.S. Embassy in Ljubljana has staff on call 24 hours a day to help Americans in trouble – just call the number in the Key Information box on the right-hand side of this screen.
We will assist you in managing the practical consequences of being a crime victim and provide you with information about accessing the criminal justice system, as well as other resources for crime victims in Slovenia and the United States, to the best of our ability.
Call the Police
To call the police anywhere in Slovenia, dial 113. Just like calling 911 in the United States, 113 will connect you to the nearest police communications center. Police stations usually have staff members who speak English. If you need our help in talking to or dealing with the police, call us, and we will do what we can. The police will take your statement about the facts and conduct an investigation.
The Criminal Justice System
If the police decide that a criminal offense has been committed and have probable cause to believe that a particular person committed the offense, they will attempt to arrest the suspect and turn him or her over to the local public prosecutor’s office (tožilstvo). Like in the U.S., the police may encounter obstacles locating perpetrators of crime, because they flee the scene or hide from officials.
The tožilstvo should inform you in writing when a suspect has been arrested, but this notification can be delayed by several months. For this reason, we highly recommended that you hire an attorney to represent you. To see a list of English-speaking attorneys in Slovenia who have agreed to take on cases involving American citizens, please click here. If you hire an attorney, please provide us with the attorney’s contact information so that we can help you to track your case.
Once the suspect is in custody, the tožilstvo conducts a preliminary investigation to determine whether the case should be prosecuted. If the tožilstvo decides there is sufficient evidence to prosecute, the case will be turned over to a judge. In most, but not all cases, if a suspect is being held in jail, the police and the tožilstvo have 48 hours, from the time of arrest, to make this determination. If they do not make such a determination in that time frame, the suspect is released.
After a suspect is taken into custody, the victim may be asked to identify the suspect in person.
The judge will then set a hearing date for the trial to commence, and the suspect usually will remain in custody during this time; while the judge can opt to release a suspect until the trial starts, this generally does not occur in cases involving violent crimes.
At the main hearing, the court will hear oral depositions from the victim, the accused, and any witnesses. Trials in Slovenia are slow-moving and very different from those in the United States. Attorneys, however, have an ability to influence the how quickly a case goes forward. Official proceedings will take place in Slovene.
Other distinctive characteristics include:
Many hearings. The trial does not occur in one or two sittings. Rather, it is split into many segments divided over a long period of time.
No jury. In some courts, there is only a presiding judge. In others, there is a judge and a “senate,” which consists of three independent lawyers; the judge and the senate members will all hear the arguments and view the evidence, and then vote on guilt or innocence.
Resources for Violent-Crime Victims in Slovenia
Victims of crime in Slovenia can obtain psychological counseling from medical and social work organizations. For more information, please see the web site of the Slovene police (in English).
Resources for Violent-Crime Victims in the United States
Whether or not you decide to pursue your case through the Slovene judicial system, you may access victim compensation and assistance resources in the United States. Nearly half of the state crime victims’ compensation programs cover certain out-of-pocket expenses such as medical, funeral, counseling, and lost wages for eligible residents of the state who become victims of crime outside the U.S. The specific requirements and services vary from state to state. Information can be obtained through the state crime victims program in your state of residence. Contact information for all state compensation programs can be found at the web site of the National Association of Crime Victim Compensation Boards.
For more information:
Emergencies
Arrest
Child Abduction
Death
Evacuation
Financial Assistance
Lost & Stolen Items
Medical Assistance
Missing Persons
Victims of Crime
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