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Inspiring Victim Justice Legislation
International Organization for Victim Assistance
The draft United Nations Convention on Justice and Support for Victims

https://www.tilburguniversity.edu/upload/f482b949-fb05-4fae-8632-0263d903d6dc_convention.pdf provides concrete actions that every Government should adopt to respect the interests and needs of victims. It is based on the best knowledge and experience from across the world to specify what must be done to provide access to justice, protection, information, assistance, reparation and so on for victims of crime. It defines who is a victim of crime. It sets out how to ensure that the services and programs are put in place to provide these basis services for victims of crime. It originated as a joint project of the World Society of Victimology and the International Victimology Institute at the University of Tilburg in the Netherlands. https://www.tilburguniversity.edu/research/institutes-and-research-groups/intervict/research/current/finalized/undeclaration/

The International Criminal Court

The International Criminal Court was established by the Statute of Rome in 1999 (and later the Rules of Procedure and Evidence) with provisions for victims that are closer to UN standards than any individual piece of national legislation. These provide for participation, reparation and protection. The Trust Fund provides a model that could be used domestically. This legislation and program is not only an inspiring model for ad hoc tribunals on violations of human rights but provides a special opportunity to see if a government would adopt similar provisions domestically. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rome_Statute_of_the_International_Criminal_Court

EU Directive

See: http://ec.europa.eu/justice/criminal/victims/index_en.htm

Canada's Federal Ombudsman

See: http://ec.europa.eu/justice/criminal/victims/index_en.htm

S. Australia

More information coming soon

Indian Commission List of Victim Rights

More information coming soon

Japan

More information coming soon

Mexico

See: http://www.inacipe.gob.mx/stories/
publicaciones/mas_colecciones/coediciones/Ley.General.pdf

South Korea

More information coming soon

Namibia

More information coming soon

Finland

More information coming soon

United States

The Victims of Crime Act of 1984 is in many ways the world's most ambitious method of raising the funds to support both local programs of victim assistance and state programs of victim compensation. The Act creates the Crime Victims Fund, whose revenues are composed entirely of virtually all criminal fines, forfeited bonds and assessments imposed on those convicted of Federal crimes (mostly white-collar and corporate offenders). The Fund is distributed annually by a set of fomulas, one main one of which awards the 50-plus state compensation programs a grant equaling 60% of the state dollars expended in compensation awards the prior year. Revenues left over – typically over half of the $500-plus million total – are then distributed by a population formula to the various states to support local victim support programs. See generally https://www.navaa.org/

United States

Victims rights constitutional amendments. In 1980, the legislature in Wisconsin in the United States enacted that country's first bill of rights for crime victims. Today all 50 states have such protections, typically according victims the right be informed of, and present and heard at critical stages in the justice system and then to restitution from convicted offenders. In 1986, Rhode Island included a victims' rights provision in its revised state constitution, and since then, 32 other states have placed such provisions in one form or another in their constitutions. Efforts have been made, thus far unsuccessful, to have the US Constitution contain a victims' rights amendment. http://www.nvcap.org/

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