The U. S. Congress passes the Victims’ Rights Clarification Act
of 1997, to clarify existing federal law allowing victims to attend a trial
and appear as "impact witnesses" during the sentencing phase on
both capital and non-capital cases.
In July, the Crime Victims Assistance Act is introduced into
the U. S. Senate, offering full-scale reform of federal rules and federal law
to establish stronger rights and protections for victims of federal
crimes. This legislation further proposes to
assist victims of state crime
through the infusion of additional resources to make
the criminal justice system more supportive of crime victims.
A federal anti-stalking law is enacted by
Congress.
