NACDL

All but death, can be adjusted
Dynasties repaired
Systems — settled in their sockets
Citadels — dissolved

Wastes of lives — resown with colors
By succeeding springs
Death — unto itself — exception
Is exempt from change — Emily Dickinson

The rights of victims in criminal cases, including capital cases, have been expanded during the past 20 years by the U.S. Supreme Court¹ and by legislation at the state and federal levels. The federal government enacted the Victim and Witness Protection Act of 1982, and in 1985, the United Nations issued a Declaration on Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime and Abuse of Power.² In 2004, as part of the Justice for All Act,³ the Scott Campbell, Stephanie Roper, Wendy Preston, Louarna Gillos and Nila Lynn Crime Victims’ Rights Act became law. This statutory alternative came out of an eight-year campaign for a constitutional amendment to guarantee the rights of victims.⁴

At the state level, 48 state attorneys general have expressed their belief