F R O M
T H E
S T A T E
A T T O R N E Y
An d re w H. Wa r re n - St at e At t o r n ey fo r t h e T h i r t e e n t h Ju d i c i a l Ci rc u i t
elevating victims’ rights
in Hillsborough County
V
The implementation of the crime victims’ rights amendment
created an opportunity to revisit and re-energize our
victim assistance program.
ictims of crime deserve respect and
dignity from our criminal justice system.
From the right to receive notification of
hearings to having a voice in front of a
judge who is considering the impact of a
defendant’s crime, legal protections for crime victims
restore much-needed balance to our criminal justice
system. Efforts to establish constitutional rights for crime
victims began in 1982 when President Ronald Regan
created the President’s Task Force on Victims of Crime.
In a report issued that year, the Task Force concluded
that the criminal justice system had lost an “essential
balance.” While in no way seeking to lessen the
constitutional safeguards that protect the rights of the
accused, the Task Force found that “the system has
deprived the innocent, the honest, and the helpless of its
protection.” Nearly 36 years later, Florida sought to
return balance to our judicial process and relieve burdens
the criminal justice system has placed on crime victims.
12
During the November 2018 elections, constitutional
rights for crime victims in Florida became law.
Imagine you or a loved one is the victim of a violent
crime and just days afterwards is shocked to learn that
Continued on page 13
MAR - APR 2019
|
HCBA LAWYER