Victim Rights ……. So Says the Government

You’ll find below Article III, taken from the 2000 Attorney General (Janet Reno) Guidelines for Victims and Witness Assistance. Mabye It’s just me, but I find it a bit curious that of all the articles in this report, most of which are VERY extensive in length, the article on Victims Rights was the shortest. No article at all really. Just a bit of a list. No doubt were we to receive a similar report from the good ole General which dealt with criminals as opposed to victims then their ‘Rights’ section would be signficantly longer. No matter. Remember this is just part of the report published last year by the Attorney General’s Office.

Article III. Victims’ Rights A. Best Efforts to Accord Rights 42 U.S.C. § 10606(a) provides that: “Officers and employees of the Department of Justice and other departments and agencies of the United States engaged in the detection, investigation, or prosecution of crime shall make their best efforts to see that victims of crime are accorded the rights described [below]:” B. Rights of Crime Victims A crime victim has the following rights under 42 U.S.C. § 10606(b): The right to be treated with fairness and with respect for the victim’s dignity and privacy. The right to be reasonably protected from the accused offender. The right to be notified of court proceedings. The right to be present at all public court proceedings related to the offense, unless the court determines that testimony by the victim would be materially affected if the victim heard other testimony at trial. The right to confer with [an] attorney for the Government in the case. The right to restitution. The right to information about the conviction, sentencing, imprisonment, and release of the offender.