Within each of these rights, the Victim Law database further sub-categorizes each provision (See Table 1). For example, the right to be informed is further differentiated into the subcategories of “notice of information” (such as in regard to the criminal justice process, the status of the defendant, as well as rights and benefits available to the victim); “review or obtain information” (such as in regard to requesting contact or additional information); and “victim notification systems” (such as referencing the mechanism by which victims receive information). Table 1. Categories and Sub-categories of Three Victims’ Rights Right to Attend Right to be Informed to be Heard Proceedings Notice of information Confer with prosecutor Victim cannot be excluded as witness Review or obtain information Communicate with court or other Presence of support Victim notification systems Communicate with defendant Employment protections (Victim Law database) A number of these subcategories had further subdivisions. For example, within the right to be heard, the subcategory “communications with court of other authority,” included further subdivisions of “impact of crime on victim,” “victim opinion,” or “other.” However, the present study did not differentiate by these additional divisions, but rather, searches were conducted by topic (such as “right to attend”) and then individual categories within each of these rights (such as “communications with court or other authority”). Once the and categories were selected, the next search filter within the database was used to narrow the results by state. This study proceeded through the states in alphabetical order. Following the selection of the individual state, the subsequent search filter differentiated between the types of documents to search. This study searched within state constitutions, statutes, court rules, and administrative rules. The comprehensive search was conducted to obtain additional information regarding variation between policies, but only results from the analysis of
the Criminal Justice System and Emotional Recovery: A Systematic and Critical Review of the Literature.” Trauma, Violence & Abuse. DOI: 10.1177/1524838014555034. Laxminarayan, Malini. 2015. “Enhancing trust in the legal system through victims’ rights mechanisms.” International Review of Victimology, 21(3), pp.273-286. Lupia. Arthur; Krupnikov, Yanna; Levine, Adam Seth; Piston, Spencer and Alexander Von Hagen-Jamar. 2010. Why State Constitutions Differ in their Treatment of Same-Sex. The Journal of Politics, 72(4), pp. 1222-1235. Mastrocinque, Jeanna M. 2010. “An Overview of the Victims’ Rights Movement : Historical, Legislative, and Research Development.” Sociology Compass, 2, pp. 95–110. Ruback, R. B., Cares, A. C., & S. N. Hoskins. 2008. “Crime Victims’ Perceptions of Restitution: The Importance of Payment and Understanding.” Violence and Victims, 23, pp. 697-710. Sims, B., Yost. B. and Abbott, C. 2006. “The Efficacy of Victim Services Programs: Alleviating the Psychological Suffering of Crime Victims?,” Criminal Justice Policy Review, (17)4, pp. 387-406. Spalek, 2006. Crime victims: Theory, Policy, and Practices. New York: Palgave Macmillan. Van Camp, Tinneke and Jo-Anne Wemmers. 2013. “Victim Satisfaction with Restorative Justice.” International Review of Victimology, 19(2), pp.117-143. Wemmers, J. 2013. “Victim Experiences with the Criminal Justice System and Recovery from Crime.” International Review of Victimology 19(3): pp. 221-233. Young, Marlene and John Stein. 2004. “The History of the Crime Victims’ Movement in the United States.” Office for Victims of Crime. Office of Justice Programs. US Department of Justice.