CJ 315 MOD ONE JOURNAL
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Southern New Hampshire University *
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315
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History
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Dec 6, 2023
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1-2 Module One Journal
Laura Lira Fuentes
Southern New Hampshire University
CJ-315-R1627
Professor David Conn
September 3, 2023
Evolution of Victims’ Rights
Victims’ rights have evolved with influences from both the Civil Rights and Women’s
Rights movements. Prior to the victims’ rights movement, victims had very few legal rights.
They did not have the right to be informed, attend, and be present at criminal proceedings
(Victims' Rights). During this time period, whenever individuals were harmed, the victims and
their families were solely responsible for acquiring justice through retaliation. However, there
was a significant increase in the attention brought to crime as well as its aftermath through the
civil rights efforts of the 1960’s and 1970’s. (Boland & Butler, 2009). By 1981, former President
Reagan established National Victims’ Rights Week.
Key Social Movements
In the 60’s and 70’s there were a lot of social movements that influenced victims’ rights
and opened the concept of victimology to the world. The two most important social movements
during this time were the Civil Rights movement and the Women’s Rights movement. The Civil
and Women’s Rights movement had a strong impact on the rights created for victims, as both
movements were aimed to address the systematic adversity and inequality in the U.S.
Victims’ Rights That Are Common
Some core rights for victims include: The right to attend and be present at criminal justice
proceedings; The right to be informed of proceedings and events in the criminal justice process,
including the release or escape of the offender, legal rights and remedies, and available benefits
and services, and access to records, referrals, and other information; The right to protection from
intimidation and harassment; The right to privacy; and The right to be treated with fairness,
dignity, sensitivity, and respect (Victims’ Rights). These rights are typically in very states
Victims’ rights to ensure that the victim is safe and in the loop of the situation with the offender,
this is created for the safety of the victims who have suffered a crime against them.
Maryland State’s Victim’s Rights
In the state of Maryland, Article 47 of the Maryland Declaration of Rights guarantees that
the victim has the right to be treated with Dignity, Respect, and Sensitivity; The right to be
notified of court events related to their case; The right to be presented at the events related to
their case; The right to be heard before sentencing is imposed; The right to restitution from the
offender; and the Right to be informed if a plea agreement between the state and the offender
(Maryland Crime Victims’ Resource Center, Inc.). These rights were created to help and give
victims a voice in their case, to show victims that they are seen and that the state is there to help
overcome the criminal act that has occurred against them.
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Refences
Victims right. VictimLaw. (n.d.).
https://www.victimlaw.org/victimlaw/pages/victimsRight.jsp
Your rights as a victim in Circuit Court. Maryland Crime Victims Resource Center. (2021, June
22). https://www.mdcrimevictims.org/know-your-rights/your-rights-as-a-victim-in-
circuit-court/#:~:text=Article%2047%20of%20the%20Maryland,of%20the%20criminal
%20justice%20system.
Boland, M. L., & Butler, R. (2009). Crime Victim’s Rights: From Illusion to Reality. Criminal
Justice,24(1), 4–11