The Victims of Crime Act at 25
One of the most successful examples of a grass roots movement changing the law is the victims’ rights movement that took off in the 1980s, triggered by the efforts of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). Besides a highly publicized “court watching program,” the group helped spur federal legislation that pressed states to raise the age for buying alcohol (to 21) and that lowered the minimum blood alcohol level for drunk driving convictions. MADD’s work also helped change attitudes about the appropriateness of providing robust civil remedies for people injured by drunk drivers by promoting changes that made it easier to sue deep pocket defendants who were guilty of selling or serving alcohol to minors or inebriated adults.
In addition to the narrow focus on drunk driving, a broader effort to protect crime victims led to the passage of the federal Victims of Crime Act (VOCA), as well as a significant number of statutes and constitutional protections on the state level. These laws provide crime victims a range of rights, including the right to notice about the scheduling of important steps in the criminal justice system, the right to make “victim impact statements” at sentencing hearings, and participating in plea bargaining. In some circumstances, these laws provide for compensation from state victim compensation funds (supported by federal appropriations).
The last week in April is “National Crime Victims’ Rights Week,” tied to the 25th anniversary of the passage of VOCA. RWU Law has a link to an important national player in the victims’ rights movement through Mark Mandell, who is on both the Board of Directors of the School of Law and on the Board of the National Center for the Victims of Crime. Among other activities, the Center has developed VictimLaw, a searchable database that pulls together more than 16,000 legal materials (cases, statutes, regulations, Attorney General opinions, etc.). Other important resources on victims’ rights include websites of the Office of Crime Victims in the Department of Justice and WomensLaw.org, which focuses on domestic violence and sexual abuse.
