criminal

Rights Gained at the Expense of Offenders, the System, or Both The boldest demands raised by advocacy groups within the victims’ rights movement concern power. Some victims want to influence the outcome of the criminal justice process at key stages from bail hearings to jury selection to sentencing. Instead of being relegated to the role […]

Rights Gained at the Expense of the System Some rights that victims gain should come at the expense of justice system officials and agencies that have neglected the needs and wants of their ostensi- ble clients for far too long, advocates say. Society, or more precisely the social system, is partly at fault for the

Rights Gained at the Expense of Offenders Some advocates argue that victims’ rights ought to be gained at the expense of offenders’ rights. Too much concern has been shown for the rights of criminals, they say, and not enough for the plights of the innocent people they harm. In the unend- ing battle between lawbreakers

The Achievements of the Victims Rights Movement The rights that crime victims have fought for and secured are so numerous and varied that they must be grouped for comparison and analysis. One way to categorize these newly achieved rights is to note which groups of victims directly need, want, and benefit from a specific right.

Type of Victimization Awareness Time National Slavery and Human Trafficking Month January National Stalking Awareness Month January National Teen Dating Violence Awareness Week early February National Youth Violence Prevention Week late March National Child Abuse Prevention Month April National Sexual Assault Awareness Month April National Crime Victims Week late April National Peace Officer’s Memorial Day

Inspiring Examples of Victim Activism Mobilizing against drunk drivers A mother whose teenage daughter was run over by an intoxicated driver starts a group that successfully changes public attitudes about mixing drinking with driving and persuades criminal justice officials that people injured in drunk driving collisions are victims of crimes—not accidents. Assisting law enforcement agencies

TOWARD GREATER FORMAL LEGAL RIGHTS WITHIN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM The struggle to gain guarantees and protections from the government has motivated reformers and dissidents throughout history. Legal rights serve as a remedy for injustice and abuse as well as a basis for independent and autonomous action. A number of movements seeking liberation, empowerment, equality,

THE ADULT CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM VERSUS THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM This chapter examines what might happen in cases that the police have solved by arresting an adult. As the fate of the accused person is determined by the criminal justice system, victims will interact with prosecutors, defense attorneys, judges, juries, and—if the defendant is convicted—corrections

Measuring Progress Toward a Victim-Oriented Police Department The adoption of a community policing approach by many departments symbolizes a commitment to granting residents a larger say in guiding the opera- tions and policies of a branch of local government that is supposed to protect and serve them. Com- munity policing also has opened the door

Investigating Complaints and Solving Crimes Victims who report crimes expect their local police and sheriff’s departments to launch investigations that successfully culminate with the apprehension of suspects and the seizure of solid evidence point- ing to their guilt (Brandl and Horvath, 1991). The FBI’s annual UCR calculates and publishes average clearance rates for each of