The victims' rights movement was launched in the 1970's by feminists and rape victims who organized rallies and wrote articles to bring the issue to public attention. President Reagan's Task Force on Victims of Crime led to Federal reforms, and in 1991, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed a previous ruling to allow a victim impact statement to be admitted in a Tennessee court. This article discusses current action being taken on victims' rights through the Anti-Crime bill and legislation passed at the State level. Other issues related to victims' rights include the debate over capital punishment and the use of mediated victim-offender encounters and lawsuits to recover criminals' assets. 26 notes and 12 references