NCJ Number
99049
Date Published
1985
Length
447 pages
Annotation
This handbook is a general introduction to the kinds of problems faced by crime victims and the victim rights specified by various jurisdictions, including the rights to compensation, restitution, civil remedies, and participation in case processing.
Abstract
The introduction presents an overview of recent legislation and litigation bearing upon crime victims' rights, followed by chapters on specific victims' rights and the rights of certain types of victims. Each chapter format consists of relevant questions and answers. A chapter on crime victims' right to participate in the criminal justice processing of their cases focuses on the rights accorded by jurisdictions at various stages of case processing, including arrest, charging, pretrial proceedings, trial, sentencing, and parole. Other chapters address developments in victims' rights pertaining to compensation, restitution, civil remedies, victim-witness intimidation, and the resolution of victimization disputes outside the traditional justice system. The last three chapters deal briefly with the specialized problems of elderly crime victims, victims of rape and sexual abuse, and domestic violence victims. The appendixes contain (1) a chart for provisions of State compensation programs, (2) a list of administrators of State compensation programs, (3) suggestions for the legal representation of crime victims, (4) a list of alternative dispute resolution centers, and (5) a State-by-State list of citations for domestic violence statutes.