Steve Chapman on What's Wrong With Victims' Rights
Criminals are generally despised, and cops are not universally beloved. But one participant in the criminal justice system has no enemies: victims of crime. They're the Sara Lee of American politics. Everybody doesn't like someone, but nobody doesn't like victims. The movement to protect this group has achieved one success after another. Every state has laws specifying the rights of victims, and 33 have constitutional provisions as well. But if victims get higher priority, something else will have to get a lower priority, writes Steve Chapman, resulting in fewer arrests, fewer prosecutions or more clogged court dockets.