What is the purpose of the rape shield law?

• A. A policy that limits a defendant's in-court use of the victim's prior sexual history.
• B. A statute that is intended to protect victims of rape by limiting a defendant's in-court use of the victim's prior sexual history.
• C. A rule that requires victims to testify in every case.
• D. A provision that requires the prosecutor to disclose all prior relationships of the victim.

Answer: (B)

Rape shield laws are statutes designed to protect victims by restricting what a defendant can introduce about the victim’s past sexual history during trial. The aim is to prevent unfair prejudice and sensationalized questioning that could shame or embarrass the victim, shifting focus away from the alleged crime and onto the victim’s private history. In practice, evidence of a victim’s prior sexual behavior is generally excluded or tightly controlled, with limited, narrowly defined exceptions when such information is truly relevant to issues like consent or specific defenses.

Why this fits best: it emphasizes that the protection comes from a formal statute and is aimed at victims of rape, not just a general policy or an unrelated procedural rule. The other options miss the core purpose: one describes a policy rather than a statute, and the others misstate who must testify or what must be disclosed.