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Victim and Witness Rights: United States Attorneys' Responsibilities

NCJ Number
173959
Date Published
1998
Length
124 pages
Annotation
This handbook is intended to be a desk reference regarding the laws and rules applicable to crime victims and witnesses; it is directed to victim-witness coordinators and advocates, Assistant United States Attorneys, and other United States Attorneys' office professionals who work with victims and witnesses.
Abstract
The manual is predominantly organized chronologically; it also groups substantive information and related statutes together where logical. Each chapter begins with a summary of the laws relevant to that chapter, followed by selected summaries of cases where the laws were applied, and the text of the statutes. Topics include the definitions of victim, attorney general guidelines, the Victim Witness Protection Act of 1982, the Victims of Crime Act of 1984, and Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 32 and Victim Impact Statements and Allocution. Additional topics include the Crime Control Act of 1990 and the Victims' Rights Clarification Act of 1997, the Violence Against Women Act of 1994, the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996, laws on child victims and witnesses, and laws on restitution. Index and list of Department of Justice officials and offices to contact regarding victims and witnesses