Many people have heard of Victim Rights but few understand what it means for victims of crime. A victim of crime is identified as victims and survivors of victims of homicide, rape, child abuse, domestic violence, and other serious offenses that have transformed their experiences into a vehicle for ensuring that victims of similar types of crime receive true justice, meaningful assistance, and compassionate treatment before the law. Typically, these include the following:

The right to be notified of all court proceedings related to the offense.
The right to be reasonably protected from the accused offender
The right to have input of sentencing (e.g., in the form of a victim impact statement).
The right to information about the conviction, sentencing, imprisonment, and release of the offender
The right to an order of restitution from the convicted offender
The right to be notified of these rights.

OVC /Office for Victims of Crime