Opinion ID: 2621432
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 44

Heading: Import of the Victims' Rights Amendment to our Constitution

Text: ś 319 Whereas many of our sentencing and death penalty procedures are spelled out in statute, the victims of crimes-rights amendment is constitutional. The mandate of article I, section 35 of the Washington Constitution â the victims of crimes-rights amendment â must be taken into account when courts conduct and review sentencing hearings. The guaranty to victims of a meaningful role in the criminal justice system is hollow if the due deliberations of a jury over matters of commonsense judgment can be set aside in the absence of clear violations of law. Wash. Const. art. 1, § 35. The provision for victims' representatives to speak at sentencing hearings is rendered nugatory where a jury's sentencing decision is reversed because a reviewing court assumes a jury did not carry out its duty. The deliberations of properly instructed juries should not be set aside on such close questions by judges not present at the proceedings. The mandate of the victims of crimes-rights amendment strongly cuts against the majority's conclusion. ś 320 Here, victim impact testimony was provided by Geneiene H.'s mother. It is fitting to recall her answer when the prosecution asked about the things Geneiene H. loved the most: Her family . . . her friends, her cats. She loved having her place where she could . . . have flowers. . . . [S]he loved doing her artwork, her needlework. She loved movies. She loved life, loved Christmas. God, how she loved Christmas. MRP at 7247.