Treating Crime Victims Fairly: Integrating Victims into the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure

Federal courts should treat crime victims fairly in the criminal process. In a nod to that goal, the Advisory Committee on the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure (Advisory Committee) has circulated for public comment proposed amendments to the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure (the Rules) regarding crime victims' rights. These amendments attempt to implement the recentlyenacted Crime Victims' Rights Act (CVRA),l which guarantees crime victims a series of rights, including the right to be treated fairly. Unfortunately, the proposed amendments are mere tentative, half measures that do not begin to fully protect crime victims.