The Victim's Right's Amendments

Sample Letter to Congress in Support of the Crime Victims' Rights Constitutional Amendment

[Date]

The honorable [Your Representative or Senator's name],
U.S. House of Representatives/United Senate
Washington, DC 20515 [for the House] 20510 [for the Senate]

Dear Representative/Senator [Your Representative or Senator's last name]:
I am writing to urge you to support the crime victims' rights constitutional amendment that has been introduced in the U.S. Senate by Senators Jon Kyl of Arizona and Dianne Feinstein of California [Senate Joint Resolution 6], and in the U.S. House of Representative Henry Hyde of Illinois [House Joint Resolution 71]. Never before in the history of our nation has there been a proposed law that could make such a significant and positive difference in the lives of millions of victims of crime each year in America.

Victims of crime who are courageous enough to come forward and participate in the criminal justice system – a system designed to protect the innocent – are often shocked to learn that they have no real rights. Although the U.S. Constitution guarantees basic rights for criminal defendants, their innocent victims have o constitutional rights. Consequently, victims of crime have been shut out of the criminal justice process: crime victims have been barred from attending trials, disallowed from speaking at sentencing about the impact the crime has had on their lives, left uninformed of their offender's release from jail, and other injustices.

Crime victims' human rights to participate in our criminal justice process are just a s important as the rights of the accused. They deserve equal recognition in our Constitution.

In supporting a constitutional amendment to protect crime victims' rights, you have an historic opportunity to take a stand for the 38 million people who are victimized each year in America. Your support of the crime victims' rights constitutional amendment will send a strong message that victim justice must be an integral component of criminal justice in our nation.

I appreciate your consideration of my concerns and hope I can count on you to support the crime victims' rights constitutional amendment.

Sincerely,
[your name, city]

Please use this letter as a model to send your opinions to the representatives and senators from your state. Encourage them to support the Victim's Rights Amendments

John Walsh's visit to Rockford, Illinois

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