Legislative efforts designed to improve the treatment of victims should be subjected to rigorous scrutiny to assure that collateral consequences do not damage public prosecutions and fundamental fairness. Several States have found that victim rights reform causes expensive delays and additional work without improving victim satisfaction. Victim rights legislation poses a fundamental philosophical question--the extent to which personal feelings of victims should influence the outcome of criminal cases. Practical questions associated with victim rights reform concern to whom legislation should apply, costs of protecting victim rights, and the extent of court consultation with victims.