Victim's Rights
When the victims' movement was founded over twenty years ago, the idea of legal rights for victims of crime was a distant ring of hope for those who had suffered the trauma of victimization.
A simple statement of seven principles was developed in the Victim and Witness Protection Act of 1982.
- Victims have a right to protection from intimidation and harm.
- Victims have a right to be informed concerning the criminal justice process.
- Victims have a right to reparations.
- Victims have a right to preservation of property and employment.
- Victims have a right to preservation of property and employment.
- Victims have a right to due process in criminal court proceedings.
- Victims have a right to be treated with dignity and compassion.
- Victims have a right to counsel.
Determined victims and their advocates continued to fight for victim rights. Since 1980, every state has sought to translate these principals into policies and practices. Thirty-two states have passed constitutional amendments that address one or more basic rights.
- The federal government enacted the Victim and Witness Protection Act of 1984, the Victims Right and Restitution Act, the Child Victims' Bill of Rights in 1990, and the Victim Right Clarification Act of 1997.
- In 1985, The United Nations adopted a Declaration on Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime and Abuse of Power.
- The federal government enacted the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 as part of comprehensive bill-affecting victims in many ways.