Victim Laws

Thirty years ago, victims had few legal rights to be informed, present, or heard within the criminal justice system, and victim assistance programs were virtually non-existent. Since then, there have been tremendous strides in the creation of legal rights and assistance programs for victims of crime. Today, every state has an extensive body of basic rights and protections for victims of crime within its statutory code. Victims' rights statutes have significantly influenced the manner in which victims are treated within the federal, state, and local criminal justice systems.

VictimLaw is a free, searchable, user-friendly and comprehensive legislative database of victims’ rights that contains constitutional amendments, statutes, court rules, administrative codes, case law and Attorney General opinions from all 50 states and District of Columbia, the federal government, over 50 tribes, 5 U.S. territories, and military codes. Visit www.VictimLaw.info today!

National Victim Support Organizations

Victim Related Resources and Links

Thanks to the Internet, assessing information about crime victims’ issues has never been easier. Whether you are looking for the latest research findings, grant and funding sources, promising practices, policy and legislative updates, or referrals to a wide range of organizations in the victim-serving community, you are bound to find help in this unique collection of resources and links.

The following pages contain nearly 600 links to online resources including federal and state agencies, national and international non-profit organizations, victim-specific coalitions, and programs providing relief services, counseling, compensation, public policy research, advocacy, public education and direct victim assistance.

Publications (pdf files)

What Do Victims Want? - Recommendations from the 1999 IACP Summit on Victims of Crime

Backing the Badge: Working Effectively with Law Enforcement

Victim Services and Law Enforcement: Next Steps – 2003 Law Enforcement Focus Group Report

Critical Response newsletter Preparing for the Needs of Secondary Victims in School Violence Incidents (Winter 2009)

VOCA: A National Perspective (Spring 2008)

Confronting the Challenges of Identity Theft (Fall 2006)

Victim Services. . . MADD's Best Kept Secret (Summer 2005)

Building Partnerships for the Protection of Persons with Disabilities (Spring 2005)

Human Trafficking: Recognizing the Victims (Winter 2004)

Criminal Victimization Can Tarnish the ‘Golden Years’ (Summer 2004)

Model Program: Casa de Esperanza (Spring 2004)

Hate Crime Victimization Eased by Proactive Professionals (Summer 2003)

Cyberstalking and Law Enforcement: Keeping Up With the Web (Spring 2003)

Victim Services: Thriving within the Ranks of Law Enforcement (January 2003)

Customizable Resources

Customizable resources enable departments to offer victims information via a brochure and a web page with little or no additional resource investment.

Your Rights as a Victim Pamphlet

Your Rights as a Victim Pamphlet (Customizable brochure)

Your Rights as a Victim Pamphlet (How to customize)