objective 29m juliann. interpret the effects criminal acts have on their intended victims, and the...

Objective 29m

Juliann

Interpret the effects criminal acts have on their intended victims,

and the development of laws and practices to protect victim’s rights.

Crime Effects on Victims

Crime victims suffer immediate physical or financial problems

associated with being a crime victim. However, the victimization doesn’t stop

when the actual crime is over. There are a number of after effects that crime victims suffer after the actual crime has

been committed.

• Crime victims may suffer from stress and anxiety over a long period of time.

• Many times the victim is interrogated by the police and questioned by others, family, friends, etc., in a negative manner suggesting that the victim somehow caused or did something to increase their chances of becoming a victim of crime

Crime Effects the Community• Fear of crime in areas steadily increases and

the resulting economic and social effects can span out into surrounding cities.

• Residents become more withdrawn and defensive and less committed to their communities.

• The very social fiber of the community is weakened.

• Some communities adopt neighborhood watch programs to revitalize the community or avoid its decay.

"Marsy's Law" Marsy’s Law will be the most

comprehensive Victim’s Bill of Rights in any state in the nation; indeed, in

the history of the nation.  The initiative sets the standard for the rights to justice and due process for crime victims and challenges the U.S. Congress to make these rights

available to all Americans.

Under Marsy’s law, victims have the right to;

• notice of all proceedings • be present whenever the defendant

has the right to be present • be heard at critical stages … before the

defendant is released after arrest, before a plea bargain is accepted by the court, before any sentence is imposed, before there is a parole, and any time their rights are at issue.

• have their safety considered before any release decisions are made and to know when the offender is being released or has escaped

• protect their confidential records • refuse to submit to interrogations by the

defendant or his lawyer before trial • confer with the prosecutor • be free from intimidation, harassment,

or abuse, and to be treated with fairness and respect

• a speedy trial and to reasonable finality