[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 38, Number 16 (Monday, April 22, 2002)]
[Pages 637-639]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks on the Proposed Crime Victims' Rights Amendment to the 
Constitution

April 16, 2002

    Well, John, thank you very much for inviting me to this beautiful 
room, and thank you all for coming today.
    Justice is one of the defining commitments of America. In our war 
against terror, I constantly remind our fellow citizens: We seek 
justice, not revenge. We seek justice for victims. We seek justice for 
their families. And for justice to prevail in our struggle for freedom, 
we must rout out terrorist threats wherever they exist. And that's 
exactly what this country is going to do. And while the war goes on and 
while our fight for freedom continues, we will continue to work for 
justice at home, including justice for the victims of violent crime.
    I appreciate John Ashcroft's leadership, his stand on principle, and 
his wise counsel during my time as the President. I appreciate so very 
much Senator Feinstein and Senator Kyl carrying this cause that I'm here 
to support. I want to thank the chairman, and I want to thank the 
ranking member of the Judiciary Committee for coming as well, Senator 
Leahy and Senator Hatch. I want to thank all the Members from the United 
States Congress for being here, Congressmen Barrett and Chabot and 
Wicker.
    I too want to thank John Walsh. I appreciate not only you standing 
up for victims; I appreciate you putting the pictures of the Al Qaida 
killers on the TV screen to help America remain alert, to help this 
country understand that we're still in danger from attack. I want to 
thank you for being a good American, and I want to thank you for helping 
the cause.
    I want to welcome the leaders of victim rights groups from all 
around the country. I particularly want to thank and congratulate those 
who are award winners today.
    As John mentioned, in the year 2000, Americans were victims of 
millions of crimes. Behind each of these numbers is a terrible trauma, a 
story of suffering, and a story of lost security. Yet, the needs of 
victims are often an afterthought in our criminal justice system. It's 
not just; it's not fair; and it must

[[Page 638]]

change. As we protect the rights of criminals, we must take equal care 
to protect the rights of the victims.
    Many of the victims of crime have gotten a crash course in the 
complications and frustrations of our criminal justice system. One 
victim put it this way: ``They explained the defendant's constitutional 
right to the nth degree. They couldn't do this, and they couldn't do 
that, because of his constitutional rights. And I wondered what mine 
were. And they told me, I hadn't got any.'' The guy sounded like he came 
from Texas. [Laughter]
    But too often, our system fails to inform victims about proceedings 
involving bail and pleas and sentencing and even about the trials 
themselves. Too often, the process fails to take the safety of victims 
into account when deciding whether to release dangerous offenders. Too 
often, the financial losses of victims are ignored. And too often, 
victims are not allowed to address the court at sentencing and explain 
their suffering or even to be present in the courtroom where their 
victimizers are being tried.
    When our criminal justice systems treats victims as irrelevant 
bystanders, they are victimized for a second time. And because Americans 
are justifiably proud of our system and expect it to treat us fairly, 
the second violation of our rights can be traumatic. ``It's like a huge 
slap,'' said one victim, ``because you think the system will protect 
you. It's maddening and frightening.''
    Thirty years ago, a grassroots movement began to stand up for the 
rights of victims. It resulted in domestic violence shelters, support 
groups for families of homicide victims, rape crisis centers. They exist 
in cities and neighborhoods all across America, because Americans care 
about their neighbors in need. One good example is in John's home State 
of Missouri. It's called Aids--Aid for Victims of Crime, Inc., in which 
volunteers provide counseling and court advocacy and other essential 
services to the victims of crime.
    Victims' rights groups are active every single day. There isn't a 
day that goes by that they're not involved in somebody's life, and 
they're especially important during times of disaster and crisis. You 
know, when the bomber hit Oklahoma City, victims' rights groups were on 
the scene immediately thereafter to help. And the same happened after 9/
11 in New York, in Washington, Pennsylvania. Victims' rights groups were 
there. Hundreds of counselors and chaplains and social workers, victims' 
service providers helped their fellow Americans deal with the 
unspeakable pain and suffering caused by the terrorist murders.
    The Attorney General will shortly present awards to outstanding 
individuals and groups for their work on behalf of victims. I had the 
honor of meeting the winners, and I want to congratulate them publicly 
for loving your neighbor just like you'd like to be loved yourself. 
You've chosen to live out the words of Saint Paul: ``Be not overcome of 
evil, but overcome evil with good.'' And our Nation struggles--as our 
Nation struggles to overcome the evil of September the 11th, your lives, 
the example you set, stand out as models of compassion and integrity.
    The victims' rights movement has touched the conscience of this 
country, and our criminal justice system has begun to respond, treating 
victims with greater respect. The States as well as the Federal 
Government have passed legal protections for victims. However, those 
laws are insufficient to fully recognize the rights of crime victims.
    Victims of violent crime have important rights that deserve 
protection in our Constitution. And so today I announce my support for 
the bipartisan crime victims' rights amendment to the Constitution of 
the United States. As I mentioned, this amendment is sponsored by 
Senator Feinstein of California, Senator Kyl of Arizona--one a Democrat, 
one a Republican, both great Americans.
    This amendment makes some basic pledges to Americans. Victims of 
violent crime deserve the right to be notified of public proceedings 
involving the crime. They deserve to be heard at public proceedings 
regarding the criminal's sentence or potential release. They deserve to 
have their safety considered. They deserve consideration of their claims 
of restitution. We must guarantee these rights for all the victims of 
violent crime in America.
    The Feinstein-Kyl amendment was written with care and strikes a 
proper balance. Our

[[Page 639]]

legal system properly protects the rights of the accused in the 
Constitution, but it does not provide similar protection for the rights 
of victims, and that must change.
    The protection of victims' rights is one of those rare instances 
when amending the Constitution is the right thing to do. And the 
Feinstein-Kyl crime victims' rights amendment is the right way to do it.
    May God bless you all, and may God bless America.

Note: The President spoke at 10:15 a.m. in the Great Hall at the Robert 
F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building. In his remarks, he referred 
to John Walsh, host of the television series ``America's Most Wanted.'' 
He also referred to S.J. Res. 35, the proposed amendment to the 
Constitution.