![]() ![]() The Act defines victim as a person "directly and proximately harmed" by a crime. The CVRA provides a good illustration of the expansive contemporary definition of "crime victim"-a definition whose implications frequently are not fully appreciated by courts, prosecutors, and other actors in the federal criminal justice system. ![]() The definition of "victim" has gradually evolved from a person who was the target of a crime to a much broader understanding of a person who has suffered harm as the result of a crime. In the last several decades, as crime victims' rights protections have proliferated, it has become necessary to define "victim" with precision. This article begins by reviewing how issues surrounding the definition of "victim" have evolved in the criminal justice system since the Nation's founding. It traces out how the CVRA (and many states) define the term "victim" as broadly covering anyone who has been harmed as the result of a crime. This article provides the first comprehensive exploration of this "victim" definition question. Who qualifies as a "victim" is the critical foundational question for the Crime Victims' Rights Act (CVRA) and other crime victims' rights laws. Today, I posted on SSRN my new, co-authored law review article regarding how to define the term "victim" in the Crime Victims Rights Act and other crime victims' rights enactments.
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