Why Do Crime Offer Programs

Victims of Crime offer programs, rights, and laws to ensure safety and support. Over the past decade, state legislatures have created laws and services for crime victims because of the fight put up by the survivors. There are more often than not state and federal laws protecting victims of crime. The Federal Law formed the Crime Victims’ Right Act, in part, of victims’ families that were wrongfully mistreated. One of the federal compensation programs are Victims of Crime Act (VOCA), the criminal act administers funds paid by offenders compensating crime victims or the surviving members of the victims’ families. Most all states have passed laws protecting victims of crimes, i.e. Tennessee has Crime Victims’ Bill of Rights. Those rights allow victims or families to be proactive in a case, due to the previous mishaps and the little consideration that was given to victims during court proceeding. These laws being passed in honor of the victims allow for families to have stronger voices in court and that they no longer grieve alone. With this, they ensure that other families may not have to grieve themselves for the same cause. Brown states, “…protecting and strengthening the rights of victims are perennial …show more content…
Families that have lost a loved one in a crime have all tried to memorialize them in law. Dozens of cases have been rejected and not passed, causing families agonizing pain. However, an example of a law proposed in Tennessee was Amelia’s Law. The law lets DUI offenders wear a transdermal monitoring device, designed to test alcohol levels on the skin. Two years prior to Amelia’s death was Dustin, who was also murdered by a drunk driver. Dustin’s Law proposed any person with the sedative methamphetamine and a blood alcohol level of .20 will automatically be convicted of vehicular homicide. Had those two cases been passed sooner it could have prevented similar