This Administration believes that the guarantee of rights for the victims of crime requires that we employ that process once again. A constitutional amendment provides the best means to protect the rights of crime victims. I am here today to explain why. I also would like to describe the progress that has already been made to achieve this goal, as well as the issues that remain unresolved. Victims should be guaranteed the right to participate in proceedings related to crimes committed against them.
People accused of crimes have explicit constitutional rights.
Ordinary citizens have a constitutional right to participate in criminal trials by serving on a jury. The press has a constitutional right to attend trials. All of this is as it should be. It is only the victims of crime who have no constitutional right to participate, and that is not the way it should be. The President and I have longstanding interests in and commitments to safeguarding and bolstering the rights of victims of crime.