By Diane Forrest
In the summer of 2011 a young
man in Mississippi went out joy riding one night with some friends, and during
the course of the evening, decided it would be good sport to torture and
terrorize a black man. Things got out of
hand when he hit the man with his truck and it resulted in the black man's
death. This young man went to school
with a friend of mine's son, and he has also terrorized him. My friend's son was drawn up in this story as
a character witness, and after two years, the legal dealings are still going
on. This is a minor inconvenience
compared to other victims of crime.
It’s hard to open a newspaper,
or watch the television without seeing a report about crime against
someone. Some stories that stand out in
my mind include the psychiatrist who provided shelter to the children from
Sandy Hook school after their teacher along with several others were shot, and
he ended up having to defend himself and his actions while being called a
pervert, child molester, receiving bomb threats and harassing phone calls for
doing a good deed. Another story
involved a school bus monitor in New York who was bullied by some children
while doing her job. A fund was set up
in her name, and she was donated enough money to where she could retire, and
remove herself from future unlawful acts.
While victims may be helpless
during the act of the crime, they are afforded rights by the government
following the capture of the criminal.
These rights include:
Crime Victims' Rights Act
18 U.S.C. § 3771. Crime victims'
rights
(a) RIGHTS OF CRIME VICTIMS.--A
crime victim has the following rights:
(1) The right to be reasonably
protected from the accused.
(2) The right to reasonable,
accurate, and timely notice of any public court proceeding, or any parole
proceeding, involving the crime or of any release or escape of the accused.
(3) The right not to be excluded
from any such public court proceeding, unless the court, after receiving clear
and convincing evidence, determines that testimony by the victim would be
materially altered if the victim heard other testimony at that proceeding.
(4) The right to be reasonably
heard at any public proceeding in the district court involving release, plea,
sentencing, or any parole proceeding.
(5) The reasonable right to
confer with the attorney for the Government in the case.
(6) The right to full and timely
restitution as provided in law.
(7) The right to proceedings
free from unreasonable delay.
(8) The right to be treated with
fairness and with respect for the victim's dignity and privacy.
(b) RIGHTS AFFORDED.--In any
court proceeding involving an offense against a crime victim, the court shall
ensure that the crime victim is afforded the rights described in subsection
(a). Before making a determination described in subsection (a)(3), the court
shall make every effort to permit the fullest attendance possible by the victim
and shall consider reasonable alternatives to the exclusion of the victim from
the criminal proceeding. The reasons for any decision denying relief under this
chapter shall be clearly stated on the record.
If you are a victim of a crime,
or know someone who is, make sure you know your rights, and what kind of help
you should expect from your government.
For more information about victim's rights, click on this site:
(All images from Google)
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