**GAO-09-54**                      Published: Dec 15, 2008. Publicly Released: Dec 15, 2008.                  

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## Highlights

On October 30, 2004, the Crime Victims' Rights Act (CVRA) was enacted, establishing eight rights for federal crime victims and two mechanisms to enforce those rights. The legislation also directed GAO to evaluate the implementation of the CVRA. To address this mandate, GAO reviewed: (1) efforts made to implement the CVRA, (2) mechanisms in place to ensure adherence to the CVRA, (3) methods the Department of Justice (DOJ) uses to monitor performance regarding the provision of CVRA rights, and (4) key issues that have arisen in the interpretation of the CVRA by the federal courts. To conduct its analysis, GAO reviewed guidance materials, victim complaints, and court rulings, and conducted surveys and interviews with criminal justice system participants. GAO cannot generalize its crime victim survey results due to a low response rate.

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## Topics

Justice and Law Enforcement

Crime victimsCrimesFederal lawFederal legislationInternal controlsInvestigations by federal agenciesInvestigations into federal agenciesLaw enforcementLaw enforcement agenciesLegal opinionsLegal rightsLegislationMonitoringPerformance appraisalPerformance measuresRestitutionRight of privacyRisk assessmentSurveysGovernment liability