Legal reform in the name of victims of crime began to appear in state and federal law in the 1960's. It can be seen in victim restitution and compensation laws, in the reform of rape laws, drunk driving statutes, bail laws, and in provisions for victim impact statements at sentencing, to name a few. Over time in many jurisdictions these specific victim provisions were joined by a more general, more comprehensive victims' bills of rights. Thus, by the close of the twentieth century, thirty-three states had added victims' rights amendments to their state constitutions and each of the states had general statutory declarations of victims' rights.

On Oct. 30, 2004, the Crime Victims¿ Rights Act (CVRA) was enacted, establishing eight rights for federal crime victims and two mechanisms to enforce those rights. This report reviewed, among other things: (1) efforts made to implement the CVRA; (2) mechanisms in place to ensure adherence to the CVRA; (3) key issues that have arisen in the interpretation of the CVRA by the federal courts; and (4) perspectives of criminal justice system participants on the CVRA. This testimony is based on a Dec. 2008 report on CVRA, which reviewed guidance and conducted surveys and interviews with criminal justice system participants. Includes recommendations. Table.

This invaluable one-stop reference source supplies students and general readers with historical and current information on the victims' rights revolution in the United States, providing analysis on everything from human rights reports to Supreme Court cases that allows the reader to fully understand these documents. Victims' rights represent the greatest change in the criminal justice system within the last 30 years. Victims' Rights: A Documentary and Reference Guide traces the origins, evolution, and results of the victims' rights movement. It puts victims' rights in a legal, historical, and contemporary context, and comprehensively collects important victims' rights documents in a single volume—perfect for students as well as general readers. Bringing together dozens of varied documents such as presidential task force reports and recommendations, Supreme Court cases, state constitutions, human rights reports, critical articles, and political documents, this book is an indispensable resource for those seeking to understand the origins and modern consequences of American victims' rights policy. The author's accompanying commentary and analysis helps the reader to gain a complete comprehension of the significance of these documents, while numerous bibliographic sources provide additional resources for interested readers.

From white-collar to environmental crime, and hate crime to sexual violence, the study of victims and of the processes of victimisation is indispensable to understanding the full scale of the effects of crime in society. In this book, Basia Spalek offers a theoretically detailed and empirically rich account of how victimology has developed into a field that transcends academic disciplines and brings together researchers, practitioners, activists and community members. This second edition of Crime Victims continues to be a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of the historical, social, political and cultural issues and trends in approaches to victims and victimisation. It introduces victimological theory, explores the impacts of crime on victims, and the challenges involved in developing victim support services. In addition, acknowledging the increasing recognition of trauma as central to understanding victimisation, it includes a therapeutic toolkit for victims, offenders and practitioners working in and with the criminal justice system. With Cutting Edge Research and Case Study sections added at the end of each chapter to highlight victimology as a vibrant and continuously developing field, Crime Victims is an essential resource to a broad audience, ranging from students of victimology, criminology and sociology to practitioners and professionals.

This innovative and prescient book offers a multidisciplinary framework which reconceptualizes maltreated animals as crime victims. Articulating more active and involved responses to animal maltreatment, Animals as Crime Victims provides guidance to attorneys, law enforcement personnel, veterinarians, and educators by reimagining how animals are positioned within the law.