NCJ Number
201034
Date Published
March 1999
Length
30 pages
Annotation
This guide was designed by the Missouri Attorney General’s Office to assist victims of violent crimes understand their legal rights.
Abstract
This guide provides information about notification rights, general rights afforded to crime victims, the compensation fund, the court process, and definitions of court terms. The first section describes victims’ notification rights, detailing the agencies that are required to automatically inform violent crime victims of certain rights and information. These agencies include law enforcement agencies and juvenile authorities, prosecutors, custodial authorities, and probation and parole boards. This first section also includes a description of victims’ general rights in Missouri. The second section discusses the crime victims’ compensation fund, including eligibility requirements and how to file for a claim. The third section provides an overview of the court process, including aspects of the investigation and arrest process; preliminary hearings; the grand jury process; bail; arraignment; and pretrial matters, such as discovery, plea bargaining, and continuance. Also included in this section are discussions of the trial process, challenges to a conviction or sentence, and parole. In the fourth section, definitions are provided for prison terms, fines, and court terms. Also included in the guide is a request form for notification of criminal appellate proceedings and a listing of additional consumer-oriented brochures offered by the Attorney General’s Office of Missouri.