Pennsylvania Crime Victim Rights

According to Pennsylvania state statute 29.353, which went into legal effect on the 1st of April 2005, violent crime victims in Pennsylvania have a number of critical and abiding rights.

First of all, victims have the right to information about state services available to them. They are also allowed to attend criminal proceedings with an advocate or other support person and to receive notification of proceedings related to their cases. If a suspect is arrested in a case, the victim must be told about it. The victim also has rights pertaining to submitting "impact statements" to judges and receiving restitution and compensation. Pennsylvania actually has set up two funds--the Victim Witness Services Fund and the Crime Victim Compensation Fund--which are dispersed according to statute 11.1101.

If an offender has been remanded to a Pennsylvania prison, the victim has the right to be notified if the offender breaks out of jail. He or she must also be provided the opportunity to submit written comment prior to the release of the offender. Similarly, if an offender is remanded to a Pennsylvania mental institution, the victim has rights of notification and comment. Finally, the Crime Victims Compensation Board must provide assistance in claim preparation and follow up.

The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency operates its own website and offices to provide non-biased comprehensive information to victims. A bill passed in 1995 established a special Office of the Victim Advocate (known as the OVA), which provides additional crime victim rights to individuals who have been touched by violent crime.

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