The Crime Victims' Rights Act, (CVRA) 18 U.S.C. § 3771, is part of the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Justice for All Act of 2004, Pub. L. No. 108-405, 118 Stat. 2260 (effective Oct. 30, 2004). The CVRA enumerates the rights afforded to victims in federal criminal cases and victims of offenses committed in the District of Columbia. The Act grants victims the following eight rights: # The right to be reasonably protected from the accused. # The right to reasonable, accurate, and timely notice of any public court proceeding, or any

parole Parole, also known as provisional release, supervised release, or being on paper, is a form of early release of a prisoner, prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated ...

proceeding, involving the crime or of any release or escape of the accused. # The right not to be excluded from any such public court proceeding, unless the court, after receiving

clear and convincing evidence In a legal dispute, one party has the burden of proof to show that they are correct, while the other party has no such burden and is presumed to be correct. The burden of proof requires a party to produce evidence to establish the truth of facts ...

, determines that testimony by the victim would be materially altered if the victim heard other testimony at that proceeding. # The right to be reasonably heard at any public proceeding in the

district court District courts are a category of courts which exists in several nations, some call them "small case court" usually as the lowest level of the hierarchy. These courts generally work under a higher court which exercises control over the lower co ...

involving release,

plea In law, a plea is a defendant's response to a criminal charge. A defendant may plead guilty or not guilty. Depending on jurisdiction, additional pleas may be available, including '' nolo contendere'' (no contest), no case to answer (in the ...

sentencing In criminal law, a sentence is the punishment for a crime ordered by a trial court after conviction in a criminal procedure, normally at the conclusion of a trial. A sentence may consist of imprisonment, a fine, or other sanctions. Sentences f ...

, or any parole proceeding. # The reasonable right to confer with the attorney for the

Government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...

in the case. # The right to full and timely restitution as provided in

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...

. # The right to proceedings free from unreasonable delay. # The right to be treated with fairness and with respect for the victim’s dignity and privacy. The Crime Victims' Rights Act was named for murder victims Scott Campbell, Stephanie Roper, Wendy Preston, Louarna Gillis, and Nila Lynn.

References

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External links

The Crime Victims Rights Act of 2004 and the Federal Courts
United States federal criminal legislation Victims' rights Acts of the 108th United States Congress