Victims' Rights 101

Over the past thirty years, every state and the federal government has passed statutes or adopted constitutional amendments affording crime victims rights in the criminal justice system. This workshop will provide an overview of victims’ rights, discuss the state of the law nationally, identify the most common moments within a criminal case when particular rights are at risk, and generate ideas of how victim attorneys and advocates can act to protect these rights. This session is geared toward attorneys, advocates, and other criminal justice professionals with minimal knowledge of crime victims’ rights.

Carol Schrader serves as program manager for NCVLI. Ms. Schrader’s previous work includes managing the Victims’ Rights Section of the Oregon Department of Justice; representing clients at legal aid agencies across the country; and experience as an executive director of a nonprofit working to end domestic violence and sexual assault. Ms. Schrader has trained nationally on crime victims’ rights, helped draft Oregon victims’ rights enforcement law, and was lead drafter of crime victims’ rights best practices in Oregon. Ms. Schrader has a JD from Northeastern University Law School, an MDiv from Harvard Divinity School, and a BPh from the Western College of Miami University.

This conference is supported by Grant No. 2008-DD-BX-K001 awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Points of view in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.