Crime Victims’ Rights
(April 2024) This primer provides a general overview of crime victims’ rights under the Crime Victims’ Rights Act, the related restitution provisions of the Mandatory Victim Restitution Act, the Victim and Witness Protection Act, and the Amy, Vicky, and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistance Act of 2018. The Guidelines Manual implements the CVRA through §6A1.5 (Crime Victims’ Rights (Policy Statement)), and the related restitution provisions through §§5E1.1 (Restitution) and 8B1.1 (Restitution – Organizations). While the CVRA applies broadly to pretrial, trial, sentencing, and post-sentencing proceedings, this primer focuses primarily on its application to sentencing and to post-sentencing issues, including revocations of probation, supervised release, habeas proceedings, and parole proceedings. Although the primer identifies some of the key cases and concepts, it is not a comprehensive compilation of authority nor intended to be a substitute for independent research and analysis of primary sources.