The National Crime Victim Law Institute (NCVLI) is a non-profit research, education, and advocacy organization located at Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon. NCVLI is the only national organization in the country working to protect victims’ rights in criminal trial and appellate courts. NCVLI’s mission is to actively promote balance and fairness in the justice system through crime victim centered legal advocacy, education, and resource sharing.
The National Alliance of Victims’ Rights Attorneys (NAVRA) is NCVLI’s bar association committed to the protection, enforcement, and advancement of crime victims’ rights nationwide. Through increased communication, coordination, and training of attorneys and advocates working in victim law, NAVRA works to increase the availability of expert services for crime victims. Membership is open to attorneys, non-attorney victim advocates, crime victims, law students, and individuals interested in legal developments that affect crime victims. Join the National Alliance of Victims’ Rights Attorneys [PDF]
NCVLI's Library of Legal Resources contains laws and educational material about crime victims' rights. Included in library is the text of key victims’ rights laws of each jurisdiction, including the federal Crime Victims’ Rights Act; publications from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime and other agencies; and informational publications from NCVLI.
NCVLI’s legal team provides legal research, writing, and strategic case advice on cutting edge victims’ rights issues to attorneys and advocates nationwide who are working directly with victims in criminal matters. Providing high quality research, writing, and strategic guidance to these attorneys and advocates ensures that victims everywhere can have the best advocacy possible.
NCVLI hosts the only national conference focusing on rights enforcement. The 2010 Conference will focus on securing fairness for crime victims. In law, fairness requires both procedural and substantive due process. This means that the law must be applied fairly to all, procedural safeguards must be afforded before a decision is taken that could affect a citizen's right, and each person's fundamental rights must be protected throughout the process.
NCVLI follows developments in victims’ rights laws across the country and summarizes recent cases affecting victims’ rights on a national scale. [Summaries are copyrighted to NCVLI but are posted with permission here.] Some recent cases include:
Petitioner sought a writ of mandamus pursuant to the Crime Victims’ Rights Act (CVRA), 18 U.S.C. § 3771, arguing that the district court improperly denied his motion for a default judgment on his complaint seeking civil damages from the United States government for a violation of his rights under the Taxpayer Bill of Rights, 26 U.S.C. § 7433. Finish reading the case summary here.
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals held that law enforcement officers who are accused of failing to investigate a crime or make an arrest due to the race of the victim and that of the perpetrator are not entitled to qualified immunity in a case where an automobile accident victim brought a civil rights action against police officers, pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983. Finish reading the case summary here
Defendant pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography. At sentencing, the court struck several written victim impact statements attached to the presentence report (PSR), and reduced the 41-month sentence contemplated by the plea agreement to 30 months. The government appealed the sentence. Finish reading the case summary here.
Defendants moved to strike the notice of appearance filed by the victim’s attorney, arguing that the victim was not a party to the action and, therefore, was not entitled to receive pleadings and other court documents through CM/ECF, the court’s case management system.Finish reading the case summary here.
Defendant was sentenced to 20 years in prison following his conviction on two counts of receiving child pornography in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2252A(a)(2)(A). He challenged his sentence on numerous grounds, including, inter alia, that the government’s introduction of nine victim impact statements was improper because it had not been established that they were victims of his crime. Finish reading the case summary here.
NAVRA produces a weekly digest of national and international news affecting crime victims. The Digest is designed to provide the community with a glimpse of victims' issues being talked about and reported on across the country and the world. Interested in receiving the digest and other important victims’ rights news? Join NAVRA.