A review of the struggles, successes, and setbacks of the crime victims' movement highlights the passage and implementation of Federal legislation on victim compensation and recent developments in restitution, mediation, and reconciliation. The pitfalls of the victims' rights emphasis on individual rights, a powerful cultural and political force in the United States, are discussed. One of the pitfalls is a proliferation of groups advocating the rights of perceived victims of particular crimes and injustices. These victim advocacy groups often array themselves against one another, such as abortion and antiabortion groups and antipornograpy and anticensorship groups. These conflicts are likely to intensify under the U.S. Supreme Court's "Webster" decision, which apparently undermines the legal construct of implied "fundamental rights," leaving rights to be determined by State legislators and the advocacy groups that influence them. 14-item bibliography