Information about crime victims’ rights is available in the following areas:
The National Center for Victims of Crime
(NCVC)
NCVC offers advocacy, victim services, referrals, training, and a virtual
library. NCVC programs include a legislative database of state and federal
victims’ rights statutes and information on the Victims’
Bill of Rights.
NCVC also tracks the following legislative
issues relating to crime victims: clemency, community notification,
constitutional amendments, dating violence, elder fraud, identity theft,
interstate compact on parole and probation, parole, payment of forensic
exams, notoriety for profit "son of sam" laws, spousal rape,
stalking, victims’ bills of rights, and violence against women.
National Victims Constitutional Amendment Passage
NVCAN is a 501(c)(3) organization supporting the adoption of an amendment
to the U.S. Constitution recognizing the fundamental rights of crime victims
to be treated with dignity, fairness, and respect by the criminal justice
system. Its Web site features:
Back to Top
Justice for All Act
There have been several advances in the area of crime victims' rights in recent years, including enactment of the Justice for All Act of 2004 (JFAA). A key component of JFAA is the Crime Victims' Rights Act, which applies certain, specific courses of action to help enforce victims' rights. Activities have included developing and expanding services to victims, including establishing and ombudsman office within the U.S. Department of Justice and a nationwide notification system (described below).
The Nationwide Automated Victim Information and Notification System
VNS is a free, computer-automated system for notifying crime victims of key case events such as an offender's release before trial or from prison. Launched in 2001 as a pilot program with funding support from OVC, it became fully operational in 2002 under the development and oversight of the Executive Office for United States Attorneys. As of September 2007, VNS was serving more than 1,300,000 crime victims nationwide with information on federal criminal justice cases provided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the United States Attorneys' Offices, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
Recourse Through the Office of the Victims' Rights Ombudsman
A crime victim may file a complaint against any employee of the U.S. Department of Justice who violates or fails to provide the rights established under the Crime Victims' Rights Act of 2004, 18 U.S.C. Section 3771. The Department of Justice has established the Office of the Victims' Rights Ombudsman to receive and investigate complaints filed by crime victims against its employees, and has implemented Procedures To Promote Compliance With Crime Victims' Rights Obligations, 28 C.F.R. Section 45.10.
 Strengthening Sexual Assault Victims’ Right to Privacy (April 2009)
This online guide (NCJ 226501), developed by Connecticut Sexual Assault Crisis Services, Inc., provides recommendations to statewide sexual assault coalitions and rape crisis centers concerned with protecting sexual assault victims’ privacy. It addresses common challenges, discusses core concepts, and offers practical tips to maintain victim confidentiality to better serve victims.
Back to Top
Federal:
GPO Access
Offers a centralized listing of several government databases and the capability
to search across multiple databases by key term.
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Child Welfare Information Gateway provides a searchable database of State Statutes on issues related to child abuse and neglect, child welfare, and adoption.
Domestic Violence Law
Search, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ)
NCJFCJ’s Family Violence Department has researched state domestic
violence laws over the past 8 years from the 50 states, District of Columbia,
and most U.S. territories and has compiled them into a comprehensive statutes
database.
VictimLaw Database
The National Center for Victims of Crime, with funds from OVC, developed and launched VictimLaw, a unique and groundbreaking resource, offering user-friendly access to more than 15,000 victims' rights statutes (state and federal), tribal laws, constitutional amendments, court rules, and administrative code provisions.
Back to Top
ADA.gov—Information and Technical Assistance on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
The ADA Home Page provides access to ADA regulations and technical assistance materials in English and Spanish, including information about U.S. Department of Justice ADA settlement agreements and enforcement activities. ADA.gov centralizes key ADA information and links to Federal resources, including:
- Access to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) ADA material.
- ADA Standards for Accessible Design.
- Updates on new ADA requirements.
- ADA Information Line: 800-514-0301 (voice) 800-514-0383 (TDD/TTY).
Crime Victim Legal Clinics
The National Crime Victim Law Institute (NCVLI), with funds from OVC, advances the enforcement of victims' rights at the federal level under the Crime Victims' Rights Act (CVRA). With this funding, NCVLI supports three federal crime victim legal clinics in Arizona, Maryland, and South Carolina. The three
clinics provide free legal counsel and support services to victims in
federal criminal cases. NCVLI provides intensive technical assistance,
training, and support to the three clinics. NCVLI provides education and
training on the CVRA to criminal justice professionals around the
country, as do the clinics in the respective jurisdictions they cover. NCVLI also develops amicus curiae ("friend of the court") briefs on important federal victims' rights issues as they arise nationwide.
Legislationline
Legislationline is an online resource, information, and documentation
center dealing with the rule of law and the protection of human rights
and fundamental freedoms. The service, provided by the Office for Democratic
Institutions and Human Rights of the Organization for Security and Co-operation,
contains information on such topics as domestic violence and trafficking
in women.
National Crime Victim Bar Association
The Association educates attorneys, victim service providers, and the
general public about civil legal remedies for crime victims. It also refers
crime victims to civil attorneys in their local area. The Association
also offers a members-only access database of more than 10,000 summaries
of civil cases involving crime victims advocates through legislation and
amicus curiae briefs.
National Crime Victim Law
Institute (NCVLI)
NCVLI is an educational institution dedicated to promoting a fair and balanced criminal justice system through legal education, legal scholarship, legal information resources, and legal advocacy. NCVLI’s attorney staff accomplishes this mission by filing amicus curiae (friend of the court) briefs in cases nationwide advocating for victims’ rights; providing legal technical assistance to attorneys who represent crime victims, and conducting trainings all across the country on victims’ rights for attorneys, law students and victim services providers.
National Organization for Victim
Assistance (NOVA)
NOVA advocates for victims’ rights, assists service providers, provides
direct victim assistance, offers training, and coordinates a National
Crisis Response Team and the National Crime Victim Information and Referral
Hotline.
National Mental Health Consumers' Self-Help Clearinghouse
The Clearinghouse offers information about self-help support groups and
regional self-help clearinghouses. The clearinghouse also provides self-help
links, training and consultation, public outreach, and related publications
and policy papers.
Public Justice
This public interest law firm handles civil cases on behalf of victims.
Cases handled involve civil rights and liberties, consumer protection,
defense of workers’ rights, prevention of toxic injuries, preserving the
environment, and preservation of the civil justice system.
Victims’ Assistance Legal
Organization, Inc. (VALOR)
VALOR is dedicated to enhancing the legal rights of crime victims in the
civil, criminal, and juvenile justice systems. VALOR conducts research
in the areas of restitution, child abuse, juvenile justice, sentencing,
and parole, and serves as a cosponsor of the OVC-funded National Victim
Assistance Academy.
Back to Top
Klaas Kids Foundation
Contains state-by-state listings of sex offender and community notification
laws.
Stop
Sex Offenders
This organization offers state listings of sex offender registries.
Back to Top
The National Association of Crime Victim
Compensation Boards (NACVCB)
NACVCB shares information and ideas through its network of victim compensation
programs. Training and technical assistance activities and other resources
focus on fiscal stability, outreach, communication, and advocacy.
Back to Top
|
