Crime victims are fighting for greater standing in the Illinois court system.
The Illinois House has approved a measure that would constitutionally guarantee it. Victims of crimes and their family members want to be notified whenever an attacker's prison sentence could be reduced. They want their safety to be a mandatory consideration when a judge decides bail, or conviction terms. And they want to speak during those proceedings.
Gail Rice is a victim's rights advocate. She says it prevents victims who have already been traumatized from being traumatized a second time by the justice system. Illinois has a Victims Rights Act that is supposed to cover these topics. But Rice says it's not enforceable. She says victims have no recourse in court if they weren't allowed to speak at a judicial hearing, or weren't told about a criminals' release from prison.
The House easily passed the measure but critics of the plan say it could strip defendants of their right to a fair trial. The measure is HJRCA29.
