[Senate Hearing 108-189] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] S. Hrg. 108-189 PROPOSED CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TO PROTECT CRIME VICTIMS, S.J. RES. 1 ======================================================================= HEARING before the COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY UNITED STATES SENATE ONE HUNDRED EIGHTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION __________ APRIL 8, 2003 __________ Serial No. J-108-8 __________ Printed for the use of the Committee on the Judiciary U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON : 2003 89-328 DTP For Sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512-1800; (202) 512-1800 Fax: (202) 512-2250 Mail: Stop SSOP, Washington, DC 20402-0001 COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY ORRIN G. HATCH, Utah, Chairman CHARLES E. GRASSLEY, Iowa PATRICK J. LEAHY, Vermont ARLEN SPECTER, Pennsylvania EDWARD M. KENNEDY, Massachusetts JON KYL, Arizona JOSEPH R. BIDEN, Jr., Delaware MIKE DeWINE, Ohio HERBERT KOHL, Wisconsin JEFF SESSIONS, Alabama DIANNE FEINSTEIN, California LINDSEY O. GRAHAM, South Carolina RUSSELL D. FEINGOLD, Wisconsin LARRY E. CRAIG, Idaho CHARLES E. SCHUMER, New York SAXBY CHAMBLISS, Georgia RICHARD J. DURBIN, Illinois JOHN CORNYN, Texas JOHN EDWARDS, North Carolina Makan Delrahim, Chief Counsel and Staff Director Bruce A. Cohen, Democratic Chief Counsel and Staff Director C O N T E N T S ---------- STATEMENTS OF COMMITTEE MEMBERS Page Durbin, Hon. Richard J., a U.S. Senator from the State of Illinois....................................................... 9 Feingold, Hon. Russel D., a U.S. Senator from the State of Wisconsin...................................................... 10 prepared statement........................................... 109 Feinstein, Hon. Dianne, a U.S. Senator from the State of California..................................................... 3 prepared statement........................................... 111 Hatch, Hon. Orrin G., a U.S. Senator from the State of Utah, prepared statement............................................. 116 Kennedy, Hon. Edward M., a U.S. Senator from the State of Massachusetts, prepared statement.............................. 124 Kyl, Hon. Jon, a U.S. Senator from the State of Arizona.......... 1 Leahy, Hon. Patrick J., a U.S. Senator from the State of Vermont. 5 prepared statement........................................... 126 WITNESSES Campbell, Collene, Councilwoman, San Juan, Capistrano, California 21 Dinh, Viet D., Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legal Policy, Department of Justice.................................. 11 Eason, Earlene, Gary, Indiana.................................... 23 Lynn, Duane, Peoria, Arizona..................................... 29 Orenstein, James, Former Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York........................................... 27 Perry, Patricia, Seaford, New York............................... 24 Royce, Hon. Ed, a Representatives in Congress from the State of California..................................................... 20 Twist, Steven J., General Counsel, National Victims Constitutional Amendment Network............................... 31 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Responses of Viet Dinh to questions submitted by Senator Leahy... 45 Responses of Viet Dinh to questions submitted by Senator Durbin.. 51 Responses of Viet Dinh to questions submitted by Senator Feinstein...................................................... 58 Responses of Jame Orenstein to questions submitted by Senator Leahy.......................................................... 60 Responses of Steve Twist to questions submitted by Senator Leahy. 81 ADDITIONAL SUBMISSIONS FOR THE RECORD Albright, Keith & Wendy, Dallas, Texas, letter................... 84 American Civil Libertires Union, Laura W. Murphy, Director, and Terri Schroeder, Legislative Representative, Washington, D.C, letter......................................................... 86 California District Attorneys Association, Lawrence G. Brown, Executive Director, Sacramento, California, letter............. 89 Campbell, Collene Thompson, Commissioner, State of California, San Juan Capistrano, California, letter........................ 91 Colorado Organization for Victim Assistance, Nancy Lewis, Executive Director, Denver, Colorado........................... 95 Crime Victims United of Oregon, Steve Doell, President, Hillsboro, Oregon, letter...................................... 96 Dinh, Viet D., Assistant Attorney General, Department of Justice, Washington, D.C., statement.................................... 97 Eason, Earlene, Gary, Indiana, statement......................... 104 Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, Richard J. Gallo, Lewisberrry, Pennsylvania, letter.............................. 108 Ferres, Donna J., Fort Myers, Florida, letter.................... 113 Fraternal Order of Police, Chuck Canterbury, National President, Washington, D.C., letter....................................... 115 Henderson, Lynne, Professor of Law, Boyd School of Law, Las Vegas, Vevada, letter.......................................... 117 Hull, Jane Dee, Governor of Arizona, Chairman, Western Governors Association, Washington, D.C., letter.......................... 120 International Union of Police Associations AFL-CIO, Dennis J. Slocumb, Executive Vice President, Alexandria, Virginia, letter 123 Los Angels County Police Chiefs Association, Chief Larry Lewis, President, Los Angeles, California, letter..................... 130 Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Wendy J. Hamilton, National President, Irving, Texas, letter............................... 131 Marquis, Joshua, District Attorney, Clatsop County, Astoria, Oregon, letter................................................. 132 Maryland Crime Victims Resource Center, Inc., Russell P. Butler, Executive Director, Upper Marlboro, Maryland, letter........... 133 Maryland Crime Victim Resource Center, and National Victims' Constitutional Amendment Network, Roberta Roper, Upper Marlboro, Maryland, letter..................................... 134 Moreau, Michael & Penny, New Orleans, Louisiana, letter.......... 136 Murphy, William L., District Attorney, Office of the District Attorney Richmand County, Staten Island, New York, letter...... 137 National Association of Attorneys General, Mark Shurtleff, Attorney Generao fo Utah, Christine Gregorire, Attorney General of Washington, Peg Lautenschlager, Attorney General of Wisconsin, Jerry Kilgore, Attorney General of Virginina, and Darrell V. McGraw Jr., Attorney General of West Virginia, letter......................................................... 141 National Association of Police Organizations, Inc., William J. Johnson, Executive Director, Washington, D.C., letter.......... 145 National Clearinghouse for the Defense of Battered Women, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, statement.......................... 146 National Organization for Victim Assistance, Jeannette M. Adkins, President of the Board, Washington, D.C., letter............... 152 Orenstein, James, Former Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, statement................................ 153 Parents of Murdered Children, Inc., Central Arkansas Chapter, Dee McManus Engle, Arkansas State Coordinator, National Board of Trustees, letter............................................... 170 Parents of Murdered Children, Inc.: Carolee Brooks, Flushing, New York, letter................... 171 Pat Gioia, Schenectady, New York, letter..................... 172 Matthew Knapp, Freeville, New York, letter................... 173 Patricia Solomon-Lawrence, Bronx, New York, letter........... 174 Debra Moseley, Watertown, New York, letter................... 175 Louise Spiers, Brooklyn, New York, letter.................... 176 Parents of Murdered, Children, Inc., Nancy Ruhe-Munch, Executive Director, Cincinnati, Ohio, letter............................. 177 Parents of Murdered, Children, Inc., Odile Stern, Executive Director, New York, letter..................................... 178 Perry, Patricia, Seaford, New York, statement.................... 179 Racial Minorities for Victim Justice, c/o National Organization for Victim Assistance, Norman S. Early, Jr., Convenor, Washington, D.C., letter....................................... 185 Rosenthal, Lynn Executive Director, National Network to End Domestic Violence, Washington, D.C., statement................. 187 Russell, Susan S., M.A., Warren, Vermont: letter....................................................... 204 statement.................................................... 206 Southern States Police Denevolent Association, Inc., H.G. Bill Thompson, Director, Governmental Affairs, McDonough, Georgia, letter......................................................... 211 Stout, Ed., Executive Director, Aid for Victims of Crime, Inc., St. Louis, Missouri, letter.................................... 212 Survivors Advocting for an Effective System, Arwen Bird, Director, Washington, D.C., letter............................. 214 Survivors Advocting for an Effective System, Arwen Bird, Director, Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, Wade Henderson, Executive Director, Independence Institute, David Kopel, Boyd School of Law, Professor Lynn Henderson, Washington National Office, American Civil Liberties Union, Laura Murphy, Director, Chadwick Professor of Law, Duke Law School, Robert Mosteller, Professor, University of Southern California School of Law, Erwin Chemerinsky, Professor, National Clearinghouse for the Defense of Battered Women, Sue Osthoff, Director, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Lawrence S. Goldman, President, and Defender Legal Services, National Legal Aid and Defender Association, Scott Wallace, Director, letter.. 215 Tribe, Laurence H., Professor of Constituional Law, Harvard University Law School, Cambridge, Massachusetts................ 221 Totten, Gregory D., District Attorney, County of Ventura, State of California, Ventura, California, letter..................... 223 Twist, Steven J., General Counsel, National Victims Constitutional Amendment Project, statement.................... 224 Vermont Center for Crime Victim Services, Judy Rex, Executive Director, letter............................................... 285 Welch, Bud, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, statement................... 286 PROPOSED CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TO PROTECT CRIME VICTIMS, S.J. RES. 1 ---------- TUESDAY, APRIL 8, 2003 United States Senate, Committee on the Judiciary, Washington, D.C. The Committee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:05 a.m., in Room SD-226, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Hon. Jon Kyl presiding. Present: Senators Kyl, Leahy, Kennedy, Feinstein, Feingold, and Durbin. Also Present: Representative Royce. STATEMENT OF HON. JON KYL, A U.S. SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF ARIZONA Senator Kyl. This meeting of the Senate Judiciary Committee will come to order. In the absence of the Chairman of the Committee, Senator Hatch, I will begin. Should Senator Hatch arrive, and Senator Leahy, of course, an opportunity will be afforded to them to make whatever statements they wish to make. In fact, we will keep the record open for the submission of any statements by any Senator. We are also joined this morning by Congressman Ed Royce of California, and he will have a couple of introductions to make after awhile. The purpose of this hearing, of course, is to consider a proposed constitutional amendment to give victims of crime certain rights that would, to some extent, parallel many more extensive rights that are provided to defendants in criminal proceedings. The Constitution provides defendants a variety of rights, but none for victims of crime, and in certain situations where State constitutions and State statutes have attempted to provide rights to victims of crime, we have found that those rights have not been uniformly effected by the courts and that victims, therefore, continue to suffer, notwithstanding those laudable provisions. In fact, according to a report of the National Institute of Justice, even those States that give the strongest protection by their own statutes or constitutional provisions, fewer than 60 percent of the victims were notified of the sentencing hearing, and fewer than 40 percent were notified of the pretrial release of the defendant. So even where the rights are supposedly guaranteed in statute, they simply aren't being enforced. It is our view--and Senator Feinstein and I have co- sponsored this amendment now for several years--that until these rights are actually embodied in the U.S. Constitution, they will continue to take second place. That's not right. This idea is not new. It's over 20 years old. President Reagan, in his 1982 task force, proposed enactment of a Federal Constitution amendment to supplement the State laws and State constitutional provisions. Now, regarding the current text that is before us, it is similar to the one in the 106th Congress, but in response to comments about its length and its cosmetics, the language has been honed and refined. We have several people to thank for that, which we will do momentarily. But regarding this point, President Bush, when he announced his support of this precise amendment, said that it was written with care and strikes a proper balance. We believe that that is true. Professor Laurence Tribe, who has been instrumental in helping us with this drafting and came up with a lot of the ideas for this form of text, praised the amendment's greater brevity and clarity--for which he was largely responsible, I might add--and he commented that, ``You have achieved such conciseness while fully protecting defendants' rights, and accommodating the legitimate concerns that have been voiced about prosecutorial power and presidential authority is no mean feat. I think you've done a splendid job at distilling the prior versions of the Victims Rights Amendment into a form that would be worthy of a constitutional amendment.'' Again, we appreciate all that he has contributed to this effort. I will just conclude with a brief comment about the degree of support that this amendment has. It has been supported by both the Republican and Democratic party platforms. It is a truly nonpartisan or bipartisan kind of issue, as evidenced again by the fact that throughout the years, regardless of which party was in power in the Senate, Senator Feinstein and I have worked together as the sponsors of this amendment to attempt to get it passed. Major national victims rights groups, including Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Parents of Murdered Children, the National Organization for Crime Assistance, and State groups like the Arizona Voice for Crime Victims, the Maryland Crime Victims Resource Center, Memory of Victims Everywhere, and Crime Victims United, a variety of organizations support this. Senator Feinstein is going to have a very important letter to put into the record in a moment. It is supported by various law enforcement groups, like the National Association of Police Organizations, the International Union of Police Associations, and the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association. Forty-one State Attorneys General have just signed a letter in strong support, which we'll get to in a moment. Thirty-two State amendments, as I've said, have passed by an average vote--and average vote--of 82 percent of the electorate of those States. So this is very popular among the people of the United States, and we believe if we can get the amendment through the Congress and to the State legislatures, it will be supported by the requisite number of State legislatures. We have, I think, at last count, 21 cosponsors in the Senate, and we are informed that a similar amendment will be introduced in the House next week, and we are looking forward to moving the legislation through the Judiciary Committee and on to the floor of the Senate as soon as we possibly can. Again, our whole point here is that it is important to embody rights for victims of crime in the United States Constitution, if they are ever to have the degree of importance attached to them that matches our commitment to provide these rights to victims of crime, in a way that will truly see them, recognized and administered by our courts in a way that is fair to the victims of crime. I want to thank all of the witnesses who are here today. I will introduce each of you in a moment. I thank Congressman Royce for being here and, of course, our colleagues, Senator Durbin and Senator Feinstein. At this point let me turn to Senator Feinstein for any opening comments she might like to make. STATEMENT OF HON. DIANNE FEINSTEIN, A. U.S. SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA Senator Feinstein. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. It's hard to believe that we have been at this now for 6 years, but Steve Twist just came up and he said, yes, it was 6 years. I want to particularly acknowledge the work you have done, Mr. Chairman. I have been very pleased to be able to join you in this effort. I have come to believe in it profoundly over the years. I particularly want to thank Steve Twist, who has represented victims and has been with us all the way through it. I hope that Senator Durbin might appreciate the following story. After our last floor debate about the amendment, I was talking to Larry Tribe by phone, and I recounted to him many of the comments that Senator Durbin made on the floor about the amendment, that it was too statutory, that it was too long, et cetera, et cetera. A couple of months went by and one morning he called, and he said, ``You know, I was taking a shower this morning and it just came to me.'' So that's how, in essence, we started to revise the previous version of the amendment. The idea came from a constitutional professor of law who happened to be taking a shower, and had worked with us for a number of years. I happen to think it's a great improvement. I would like to spend my time just saying why I believe we need this amendment. Before I do, I would like to put into the record a letter signed by 42 State Attorneys General which, says--and I quote--``The rights you propose in S.J. Res 1 are moderate, fair, and yet profound. They will extend to crime victims a meaningful opportunity to participate in the critical stages of their case, and at the same time they will not infringe on the fundamental rights of those accused or convicted of offenses.'' So if I might add that to the record, I would appreciate it. First, Mr. Chairman, a victims' rights constitutional amendment will balance the scales of justice. Currently, while criminal defendants have almost two dozen separate constitutional rights, 15 of them provided by amendments to the U.S. Constitution, there is not a single word in the Constitution about the victims of crime. These rights trump the statutory and State constitutional rights of crime victims because the U.S. Constitution is the supreme law of the land. To level the playing field, crime victims need rights in the United States Constitution. In the event of a conflict between a victim and a defendant's rights, the court will be able to balance those rights and determine which party has the most compelling argument. Second, a constitutional amendment will fix the patchwork of victims' rights laws. Seventeen States lack State constitutional victims' rights amendments. And the 33 existing State victim's rights amendments differ from one another. So they create a kind of patchwork of rights, all of them different. Also, virtually every State has statutory protections for victims, but these vary considerably across the country. So only a Federal constitutional amendment can ensure a uniform national floor for victims' rights. Third, a constitutional amendment will restore rights that existed when the Constitution was written. It is a little known fact that at the time the Constitution was drafted, it was standard practice for victims, not public prosecutors, to prosecute criminal cases. Because victims were parties to most criminal cases, they enjoyed the basic rights to notice, to be present, and to be heard. Hence, it is not surprising that the Constitution does not mention victims. Now, of course, it is extremely rare for a victim to undertake a criminal prosecution. Thus victims have none of the basic procedural rights they used to enjoy. That stopped in the mid-19th century, around 1850. When the position of public prosecutor became institutionalized, victims lost their rights. Victims should receive some of the modest notice and participation rights they enjoyed at the time that the Constitution was drafted. Fourth, a constitutional amendment is necessary because mere State law is insufficient. State victims' rights laws, lacking the force of Federal constitutional law, are often given short shrift. A Justice Department sponsored study and other studies have found that even in States with strong legal protections for victims' rights, many victims are denied those rights. The studies have also found that statues are insufficient to guarantee victims' rights. Only a Federal constitutional amendment can ensure that crime victims receive the rights they are due. Fifth, a constitutional amendment is necessary because Federal statutory law is insufficient. The leading statutory alternative to the victims' rights amendment would only directly cover certain violent crimes prosecuted in Federal court. Thus, it would slight more than 98 percent of victims of violent crime. We should acknowledge that Federal statutes have been tried and found wanting. It is time for us to amend the Constitution. The Oklahoma City bombing case offers another reason why we need a constitutional amendment. This case shows how even the strongest Federal statute is too weak to protect victims in the face of a defendant's constitutional right. In that case, two Federal victims' rights statutes were not enough to give victims of the bombing a clear right to watch the trial and still testify at the sentencing, even though one of the statutes was passed with the specific purpose of allowing the victims to do just that. An appellate court held, in fact, that the victims did not have standing under the Constitution to bring a case to get the right which we in the Senate and House of Representatives, signed by the President, passed. So a constitutional amendment would help ensure that victims of a domestic terrorist attack, such as the Oklahoma City bombing, have standing, and that their arguments for a right to be present are not dismissed as ``unripe''. A constitutional amendment would give victims of violent crime an unambiguous right to watch a trial and still testify at sentencing. There is strong and wide support for a constitutional amendment. President Bush, Attorney General Ashcroft, have endorsed the amendment. I appreciate their support. Both former President Clinton and former Vice President Gore have all expressed support for a constitutional amendment on victims' rights. Both the Democratic and Republican party platforms call for a victims' rights constitutional amendment. Governors in 49 out of 50 States have called for an amendment. Four U.S. Attorneys General, including Attorney General Reno, support an amendment. Forty-two State Attorneys General support an amendment. And major national victims' rights groups, including Parents of Murdered Children, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and the National Organization for Victim Assistance support the amendment. Law enforcement groups, including the National Association of Police Organizations, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the International Union of Police Associations, AFL-CIO, and the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, support an amendment. Constitutional scholars such as Harvard Law School Professor Larry Tribe support an amendment, and I should say that Professor Paul Cassell supported the amendment prior to becoming a Federal judge. The amendment has received strong support around the country. Thirty-two States have passed similar measures, by an average popular vote of almost 80 percent. Mr. Chairman, I look forward to hearing the testimony today, and I thank you for your leadership. [The prepared statement of Senator Feinstein appears as a submission for the record.] Senator Kyl. Thank you very much, Senator Feinstein, and thank you for your leadership on this amendment. This morning is an extraordinarily busy day in the Senate. I have two other committees meeting at this precise time, and I know it's busy for all of us. But that is why I'm particularly pleased that the Ranking Member of the full Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Leahy, is here. I will turn to him next for an opening statement. STATEMENT OF HON. PATRICK J. LEAHY, A U.S. SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF VERMONT Senator Leahy. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate your courtesy on this. I would ask that a number of items for the record, including a letter from Chief Justice Rehnquist, a statement from Bud Welch, the father of an Oklahoma City bombing victim, the National Network to End Domestic Violence, and others, be included in the record at the appropriate place. Senator Kyl. Without objection, so ordered. Senator Leahy. Thank you. This past Sunday marked the beginning of National Crime Victims' Rights Week. For more than two decades, we have set this week aside each year to focus attention on the needs and rights of crime victims. Each year, this week reminds us of our longstanding commitment to afford dignity and recognition to crime victims, and challenges us to build on the tremendous foundation of victims' rights and services already established across our Nation. My involvement with victims's rights began more than three decades ago. I was State's Attorney in Chittenden County, VT and I witnessed first hand how crime can devastate victims' lives. I believe I was one of the very first, certainly in our State, one of the first prosecutors in the country to make absolutely sure that victims were heard at the time of sentencing, that they were given a chance to be part of the process all the way through. I have worked ever since to ensure that the criminal justice system is one that respects the rights and dignity of victims of crime, rather than one that presents further ordeals to those who have already been victimized. I am pleased that Congress and the States have become far more sensitive to the rights of crime victims than either were at the time I was a prosecutor. We have greatly improved our victims' assistance programs, but we have a lot more to do. For example, we have unfinished business with respect to the annual cap on the Crime Victims Fund, which has severely limited the amount of money available to serve victims of State crimes. In 2001, Congress passed, and then inexplicably repealed, legislation that Senator Kennedy and I proposed to replace the cap with a self-regulating system. Such a system would ensure stability and would protect the Fund assets while allowing more money to be distributed to victims. We should not be imposing artificial caps on spending at a time when unfunded needs are there. I was disappointed, for example, that the President's latest budget for fiscal year 2004 does precisely that. It proposed a cap on spending for the Crime Victims Fund. The President's budget would reduce Federal funding for State victim assistance programs for the second year in a row. I think that's wrong, because State funding and charitable giving are drying up, and I hope the President will change his mind. We also need to protect our most vulnerable victims, women and children who are victims of domestic violence. They are extraordinarily vulnerable. Seeing a representative from the Attorney General's office here, I would remind him that the President's budget fails to fund any transitional housing programs, and it severely underfunds grants for battered women's shelters. These are desperately needed nationwide. While it may not go through the AG's office, they may want to pass the word on. But one important program on which progress has finally been made is the Violence Against Women office. Last year, we underscored the importance of that office's work by passing legislation that required the office to be moved to a more prominent position under the Attorney General. But for 6 months after the President signed that legislation into law, the Department of Justice refused to follow it. I am glad that the Attorney General has now changed his mind and he has agreed to set up the Violence Against Women office with the status that Congress intended. I think you will find bipartisan support in this Committee to help the new head of that. Then there's another area of violent crime--terrorism and mass violence. We need to focus on victims' rights in this particular context for several reasons. After September 11th, this most savage type of crime is a growing concern. Terrorism and mass violence differ from other violent crimes because it can devastate thousands of innocent lives and can also devastate whole communities. And then we have to make sure that victims' rights are tailored to ensure they're in harmony with the needs of national security. We passed a bill to allow the families and survivors of the September 11th attacks to watch a closed circuit broadcast of the trial of Zacharias Moussaoui. But the judge in that case has severely limited the number of locations at which victims can watch those proceedings. Many of the victims are going to be denied the right that we in Congress, again in a bipartisan fashion, sought to provide. In fact, we have been told the prosecution may be moved to Guantanamo Bay, which would mean none of the victims would be able to watch it. So these are things we have to watch. If there are going to be trials at Guantanamo Bay and military tribunals, then we ought to ask are the victims going to be accommodated in this. Now, I mention those various proposals--funding for victims of State crimes, shelter for victims of domestic violence, strengthening enforcement with respect to violence against women, and giving victims of terror access to the justice system--because these are all practical means tailored to the actual needs of real specific groups of victims. You put the money in there and it makes sure that victims' rights are protected. I remember the debates we've had over the years about unfunded mandates. Well, we shouldn't make unfunded promises. A constitutional amendment may well make us feel good, but if we're not going to fund the things that are there to help victims, it doesn't really do anything for us. This amendment makes victims promises that we lack the ability or political will to turn into practical realities. If that's the case, then we should reject it. I mean, we found the presidential budgets, Congressional actions, and we make all kinds of promises, but we don't put the money there. If we don't put the money there, then we're tacking on to the Constitution what Shakespeare called ``words, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.'' So we ought to have candor. After all, amending the Constitution is a very serious matter. I have a great deal of respect for the sponsors of this amendment. I know they worked very hard on it. They have been through, I believe, 70 drafts to date. It shows their sincerity. But it also shows how difficult this is if you have to go through all those drafts. In fact, if we had passed an earlier version, like the one we debated 3 years ago, we would now be stuck with that version. Everybody now concedes there were flaws in it. We would be out here trying to pass another constitutional amendment to correct what we did back then. So we're not disagreeing about the importance of victims' rights. I have demonstrated that throughout my career. I demonstrated that in my career when I was in law enforcement. We have to make sure victims are heard. But let's make sure that we do it in a way that they really are heard. Let's make sure we take the laws that are on the books today and put the money behind them. Let's make sure we don't have six-month delays in the future in setting up offices needed for victims' rights. Let's make sure that when we all give speeches in favor of victims' rights and all the programs we have established for them, that we then come up with the money to fund them. I would hope that people would read the testimony of Bud Welch, whose daughter was killed in the Oklahoma City bombing. This is a man who cares very much about victims. He speaks of the need for victims' legislation, not for a constitutional amendment. I think of Mrs. Patricia Perry, who is sitting in the front row with her husband, John. Her son was killed on September 11th. He had finished his career as a police officer and had passed in his resignation papers in the normal course of events, and turned in his badge. The call came for the attack on the Trade Center Towers and he went back, retrieved his badge, and went in to save people in the Trade Towers. He did not come out. These are people concerned about victims. But I think they agree that you can't have a ``one size fits all'' solution to victims' rights. I'm afraid that's what happens here in this amendment. Even the distinguished Senator from California quoted Laurence Tribe. Well, Laurence Tribe also said ``the States and Congress, within their respective jurisdictions,. already have ample authority to enact rules protecting [victims] rights'' without the constitutional amendment he has worked on. So, Mr. Chairman, we have to ask ourselves why should we amend our Constitution for only the 18th time in 200 years, and whether it might be better to put all our energies into funding the victims' programs that are there. Again, I thank you for your courtesies on this. I would also note for the record how much work you and Senator Feinstein have put into this. I think with both of you it has been a labor of love in the truest sense of the word. [The prepared statement of Senator Leahy appears as a submission for the record.] Senator Kyl. Thank you very much, Senator Leahy. I would at this time include, without objection, into the record letters from the organization Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Crime Victims United of Oregon, Roberta Roper and Russell Butler of the Maryland Crime Victims Resource Center; a letter from Parents of Murdered Children, from NOVA, from Racial Minorities for Victims Assistance, and Sue Russell of the State of Vermont. Without objection, those letters will be inserted in the record. Senator Feinstein. Mr. Chairman, I have a packet of letters. May I insert those as well? Senator Kyl. Yes, those will also be inserted, without objection. Now, even though the first three of us who have spoken exceeded the five minute limit that we ordinarily impose, and we're going to ask our witnesses to abide by, I would like to ask everyone else, if they can possibly do so, to try to abide by that. I'm sorry to say that just before I call on Senator Durbin first. STATEMENT OF HON. RICHARD J. DURBIN, A U.S. SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF ILLINOIS Senator Durbin. I'll try to make my statement even briefer. I thank both you and Senator Feinstein for your good faith effort to take this work product and make it much more compact. It still raises some fundamental questions that I believe Senator Leahy has addressed, because I think what we all agree on is that victims should have a right to be notified, to be informed, and to be present. Now we have a competing right, too, and that would be the right of the accused. With a presumption of innocence, with the establishment of constitutional protections, does this amendment preempt or take away any of the rights of the accused in America? I think that is a legitimate threshold question. If the answer is yes, which rights are now removed from criminal defendants? Senator Feingold and I have both offered amendments to this constitutional amendment at various times over the last several years that would say ``nothing herein shall deny the rights of an accused under the Constitution.'' Both times those amendments have been defeated in the Judiciary Committee, which certainly raises the question, if not the presumption, that we are preempting the rights of the accused defendant. If we are doing so, let's do it honestly. Let's be open about it. When the Department of Justice comes to testify, I'm going to ask Professor Dinh early in my questioning just which rights of the criminal defendants are we going to remove, or restrict, or hamper, by protecting the rights of victims. If there are none, then we should say it straight out. If there are some, let's also be very explicit about it. We also have a question here, which I raised about the earlier version of this amendment, which gets down to some basics: who are victims? It is easy to find the victim of an assault, to identify that person and to say that is the protected person. But in the case of a murder, who is the victim? Is it the mother and father of the victim who died? Is it the brother and sister? Who will it be? How many people will have rights vested by this constitutional amendment? There is also a question about a lawful representative of the victim, another undefined term here, which also is going to raise some questions about the responsibility of the State to notify the lawful representatives of the victims and the victims themselves of their constitutional rights. So many questions have been raised by it. I will close by saying I start with the same presumption that I start with any constitutional amendment: there is a reason why, in the history of the United States of America, we have amended this Constitution so rarely. It is because we assume that the Constitution and the amendments, particularly the Bill of Rights, have stood the test of time, and we should never be so presumptuous as to believe that we can take a roller to a Rembrandt and make it look a little better. We ought to start with the presumption that, if we can do it by statute, we should do it by statute and not by constitutional amendment. That, of course, is my concern as we go into this debate. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Senator Kyl. Thank you very much. Senator Feingold. STATEMENT OF HON. RUSS FEINGOLD, A U.S. SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF WISCONSIN Senator Feingold. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have a longer statement that I would also like to include in the record. I will come well within the 5 minutes because all I have to do is strongly associate myself with the remarks of Senator Durbin that were, to my mind, very effective, and I will just say a few other words. I share the desire to ensure that those in our society who most directly feel the harm callously inflicted by criminals do not suffer yet again at the hands of a criminal justice system that ignores victims. But Congress should proceed very carefully when it comes to amending the Constitution. I believe that Congress can better protect the rights of victims by ensuring that current State and Federal laws are enforced, providing resources to prosecutors and the courts, as Senator Leahy has said, to allow them to enforce and comply with existing laws and working with victims to enact additional Federal legislation, if needed. As Senator Durbin indicated, in the 214-year history of the United States Constitution, only 27 amendments have been ratified, just 17 since the Bill of Rights was ratified in 1791. Two of the 17 concerned prohibition and so they cancelled each other out. Yet, literally hundreds of constitutional amendments have been introduced in just the past few Congresses. To change the Constitution now is to say that we have come up with an idea that the Framers of that great charter did not. I do not believe that the basic calculus of prosecutor, defendant and victim has changed enough since the foundation of the Republic to justify this significant action. Now, as a Senator in the Wisconsin State Senate, I did vote in favor of amending the Wisconsin State Constitution to include protections for victims. The majority of States now do have State constitutional protections for victims, and every State in the country has statutes to protect victims. But the Wisconsin State Constitution, like a number of other State constitutions, appropriately clarifies that the rights granted to victims cannot reduce the rights of the accused in a criminal proceeding. That is why Senator Durbin and I have tried, unsuccessfully, to have this kind of a protection added to this amendment, because that would make a huge difference. I am also concerned that a victims' rights amendment could jeopardize the ability of prosecutors to investigate their cases, to prosecute suspected criminals, and balance the competing demands of fairness and truth-finding in the criminal justice system. So today, I look forward to hearing from our witnesses on the issue of whether it is necessary for Congress to take the rare and extraordinary step of amending the Constitution to protect the rights of victims. Thank you for the chance to speak, Mr. Chairman. [The prepared statement of Senator Feingold appears as a submission for the record.] Senator Kyl. Thank you. All of the questions have been raised, and I think they're good and appropriate questions, and now we'll hear from some witnesses who perhaps can answer those questions. We would like to begin with Mr. Viet Dinh. Viet, if you would take the dias, I will introduce you. Viet Dinh is Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Policy at the Department of Justice. Prior to his entry into government service, Mr. Dinh was professor of law and deputy director of Asian Law and Policy Studies at the Georgetown University Law Center. Mr. Dinh graduated magna cum laude from both Harvard College and the Harvard Law School. He was a law clerk to Judge Lawrence H. Silverman of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, and to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. He is joined by Mr. John Gillis, who is Director of the Office of Victims of Crime. We welcome you both. Mr. Dinh, the floor is yours. STATEMENT OF VIET D. DINH, ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL, OFFICE OF LEGAL POLICY, DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, WASHINGTON, D.C. Mr. Dinh. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, and good morning, Senators. Thank you very much for the opportunity to be here. I have a fuller statement that I would ask to be entered into the record in the interest of time. I will take a few moments to reiterate the Department's and the administration's support for this crime victims' rights amendment. As the President stated last year, ``The protection of victims' rights is one of those rare instances where amending the Constitution is the right thing to do, and the Feinstein- Kyl Crime Victims' Rights Amendment is the right way to do it.'' Today, as you have noted, is part of National Crime Victims' Rights Week, and it is fitting, it seems to me, that this year's theme is ``Fulfill the Promise'', because it has been over two decades since President Reagan convened his landmark task force on victims of crime, and Congress passed the Victim and Witness Protection Act of 1982. Yet the promise remains unfulfilled and victims of crime continue to be silenced by a criminal justice system intended to protect them. Although I agree that, as a general matter, we should be wary of attempts to amend the Constitution, this is one of those times when it is both necessary and prudent. I would like to thank you, Mr. Chairman, and Senator Feinstein, for your continued leadership and advocacy for a victims' rights amendment. Having participated in countless meetings and discussions, I know that this is, indeed, a labor of love and a labor of passion for the team of lawyers that worked endlessly to craft this amendment. I would like to thank Matt Lamberti and Stephen Higgins here in the Senate, Lizette Benedi and Paul Clement from the Department of Justice, and of, course, Steve Twist, from the National Victims Constitutional Amendment Network. I talked a number of times with Professors Larry Tribe and Paul Cassell during this process, and I can reiterate that they deserve support, thanks and praise for all of their expertise and effort in this regard. Currently, all 50 States and the Federal Government have passed legislative measures to protect victims' rights, and 33 States have amended their constitutions to do so. However, these efforts, while substantial, have proven inadequate to protect victims' rights when courts compare them with the Federal constitutional rights of criminal defendants. In 1998, a National Institute of Justice study concluded that ``a strong victims' rights law makes a difference, but even where there is strong legal protection, victims' needs are not fully met.'' The proposed amendment, if enacted, undoubtedly will prompt significant adjustments in the criminal justice system. That is why, in evaluating S.J. Res. 1, the Department has viewed our support of the rights of crime victims in light of our responsibilities to enforce the criminal laws of the United States vigorously and effectively, and our commitment to fairness and justice for all persons, including those accused of crimes. We believe that the proposed amendment properly protects and advances all of these interests. The Department believes that protecting the rights of victims of crimes is not only consistent with but advances our core mission of prosecuting perpetrators of crime. That is especially true under the proposed amendment, which we believe provides sufficient flexibility to ensure that investigators and prosecutors are able to discharge their duty to bring offenders to justice in a timely and efficient manner. That is why 41 State Attorneys General, as you have noted, Mr. Chairman, through their national association, have written a strong letter of support for this amendment, a letter which the Attorney General received this morning and which Senator Feinstein has entered into the record. This amendment has been carefully crafted to protect the rights of victims while ensuring the proper investigation and prosecution of crime. It does so by allowing for restrictions on victims' rights only where there is a substantial interest in public safety or the administration of criminal justice. The Department looks forward to working with you to see that this measure is passed, and to assisting you in fashioning appropriate implementing legislation should it pass. I am at your disposal now to answer any questions you may have. Thank you, sir. [The prepared statement of Mr. Dinh appears as a submission for the record.] Senator Kyl. Thank you very much, Mr. Dinh. Let me ask you, since you're going to be gone at the time the next panel--well, you may not be gone, but you won't be on the dias here. Mr. Dinh. Do you know something I don't, sir? [Laughter.] Senator Kyl. After our next panel testifies is what I was trying to say. I noted in his written testimony that one of the presenters on the next panel, Mr. Orenstein, has identified two very narrow examples, in his view, of where the crime victims' rights amendment might harm law enforcement efforts. I would like to have you respond to those in advance of his testimony. First he is concerned that giving rights to victims in organized crime cases might interfere with their prosecutions. I would ask you whether or not you agree with me, that it's true that, under this amendment, no such notice would have to be given. Second, he is concerned that in the rare situation in which the victim is actually a prisoner already, that they would have to be transported to court. I would ask you whether it's true that, under the amendment, there is no such requirement for transportation of prison victims that is necessary. Could you respond to those two concerns that he has expressed? Mr. Dinh. Yes, sir. They are both very good points that Mr. Orenstein raises, but I think ultimately not ones that have not been thought of by you, the sponsors, and not adequately addressed in the amendment. First of all, the question of notice, especially in the case of organized crime--I believe Mr. Orenstein mentioned his experience in the John Gotti trial, and with the cooperation of Mr. Gravano--I note that section 2 of the amendment affords victims a right to ``reasonable and timely notice.'' The phrase ``reasonable'', of course, is one that is common in constitutional law, including reasonable search and seizure in the 4th Amendment and other places within the Constitution. It affords the court, when faced with the question, sufficient flexibility to decide that, where notice would jeopardize a prosecution or pose a danger to the victim or other persons, then it would not be reasonable to provide such notice. In case that is not sufficient, I note that the last sentence of section 2 provides that ``these rights shall not be restricted except when and to the degree dictated by a substantial interest in public safety or the administration of justice'', thereby providing another opportunity for courts, prosecutors and investigators to consider restrictions on victims' rights in order to afford a substantial interest in public safety or the administration of justice. I think the drafters of the amendment have very wisely considered that the interests of the prosecution are, in most cases, consonant with and complementary to the rights of victims. But where the rights of victims, if guaranteed to an absolute extent, would jeopardize the public safety or the prosecutorial interest, then reasonable accommodations can be made in order to ensure that the two teams are working together rather than working against each other. With respect to the second question of prisoner transport, that is a very interesting question. I have not thought about it very much because it involves an area of prisoner litigation and personal rights that is ongoing as a daily matter in the Supreme Court and elsewhere. But I would like to note that the right that is afforded under section 2 to attendance is ``the right not to be excluded from such public proceeding''. It is not a right to attend, as such. It is a right not to be excluded. It is a right not to be turned away at the gates. It does not speak of a right, an affirmative right, or incentive to attend a particular proceeding. So I would think that, just as the government need not provide cab fare to normal victims, the government need not provide transportation to a particular proceeding because the right guaranteed is a right not to be excluded. But, even so, I guess one other point I would like to make is, under the Court's jurisprudence regarding the constitutional rights of prisoners and the penalogical interest of the United States and other State governments in a case, I believe, called Turner v. Saffley, a case where Justice O'Connor wrote that the proper test for balancing the constitutional rights of prisoners, if this constitutional amendment were passed and a prisoner is a victim, then that constitutional right would be afforded to the prisoner. But in balancing that interest of the constitutional right of prisoners and the State's interest, the appropriate standard is not one of strict scrutiny or undue burden that we are familiar with, but rather it is whether or not a policy is reasonably related to a State's penalogical interest. So I think there is sufficient room in the constitutional law in order to accommodate the concerns that Mr. Orenstein raised. But in any event, I do not think they are raised with respect to the specific text of this amendment. Senator Kyl. So the United States Department of Justice is comfortable that the amendment, as currently drafted, would not interfere with law enforcement efforts? Mr. Dinh. Absolutely, sir. Senator Kyl. Thank you very much. Senator Feinstein. Senator Feinstein. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Good morning. Mr. Dinh. Good morning. Senator Feinstein. I wanted to ask you to respond to Senator Durbin's concern, and that is that this amendment does not trample on or subjugate a defendant's rights. When this was redrafted, this time we tried to meet that concern, and the way we met it was in section 1, right up front, with these words: ``The rights of victims of violent crime being capable of protection without denying the constitutional right of those accused of victimizing them are hereby established and shall not be denied by any State or the United States, and may be restricted only as provided in this Article.'' You mentioned the balancing test, which I think both Senator Kyl and I have wanted to protect, with the knowledge that a judge can balance those rights. But my question to you is, do you believe that the way the amendment is drafted presently does not abrogate any right that a defendant or an accused possesses under the Constitution? Mr. Dinh. Yes, ma'am, I do agree, and it starts with a statement of principle in section 1. It is a very important statement of principle which I think informs the interpretation of the rest of the provisions, most significantly the substantive provisions of section 2, which grants the operative rights and restrictions therein for the particular amendment. With respect to section 2, I would like to note that the balancing test that you speak of specifically is contemplated by the amendment. This is one of those rare places in the Constitution--I believe it's the only place in the Constitution--whereby the test is actually specified so as to give proper guidance to the court on how to balance exactly these rights that may come into tension. The amendment states that ``these rights shall not be restricted, except when and to the degree dictated by a substantial interest in public safety or the administration of criminal justice, or by compelling necessity.'' A substantial interest in the administration of criminal justice I think gives the court the ability to evaluate where rights of criminal defendants under the 4th, 5th, 6th and 8th and other places in the Constitution come into not conflict but meets the rights of the victims afforded under this amendment. Courts would be able to delineate the lines between these various rights and accommodate them in a reasonable manner by this specific language, that the rights of crime victims may be restricted, but only if there is a substantial interest in the administration of criminal justice, including protection of the rights of criminal defendants under the 4th, 5th, 6th and 8th Amendments of the United States Constitution. Senator Feinstein. Thank you very much, Mr. Dinh. I appreciate that. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Senator Kyl. Senator Durbin. Senator Durbin. Thank you very much. Professor Dinh, let me go back to that section 1 and read it. ``The rights of victims of violent crime, being capable of protection without denying the constitutional rights of those accused of victimizing them, are hereby established...'' I read that differently. I think it is a presumption that we can give rights to victims without endangering or limiting the rights of the accused. But it doesn't say expressly the following: ``No rights vested in victims under this amendment shall be at the cost or at the expense of the rights of the accused.'' Wouldn't that be a clearer statement of what you say is, in fact, the meaning or the intent of this amendment? Mr. Dinh. I do not know what the exact intent of the amendment is, but I do know that the meaning is, I think, quite clear on the face of the amendment. Section 1 sets forth the principle, the overall principle, that the rights can be reconciled and both sets of rights can be protected. There is no question that the introduction of a third player, if you will, into the criminal justice system that is currently dominated by the prosecutor and the criminal defendant's interest, the introduction of crime victims as full partners in this enterprise would have significant impact and would prompt significant adjustments in that criminal justice system. I think that the admission of such an equal player, a first-class citizen, if you will, into this community of criminal justice, would prompt significant development of the law by courts seeking to adjust the criminal justice system in order to fully protect the rights of victims. That is why I think the nuance provision that is in the last sentence of section 2, that allows for a court to make proper accommodations for substantial interest in the administration of criminal justice, is more of a clearly precise rapier-like approach rather than a broad-sword approach to the adjustment that will have to be made. Senator Durbin. Let's try to be specific, then. Let's get down to some specific instances. As I read through this, and were this a Federal statute involving crime victims' rights, it would pass 100 to nothing, or close to it, on the floor of the Senate. But since we're talking about a constitutional amendment, there is and should be closer scrutiny to the exact words that are used. In my mind, the one element here that raises more concern than others, is the element of the rights not to be excluded from public proceedings and reasonably to be heard, so forth and so on. The public proceedings, of course, refer back to any public proceeding involving a crime. So I take it what we're speaking of is the rights of the victims to be present at the trial, the trial of the defendant, whether they are going to testify or not. That, I think, raises some questions that need to be resolved. Now, let me go to the end of that section 2. It says, ``These rights shall not be restricted except--'' so the exceptions clause, which you referred to in your statement, says the courts can make exceptions to the rights of the victims to be at the trial, if they find ``a substantial interest in public safety or the administration of criminal justice, or by compelling necessity.'' What's the difference between a ``substantial interest'' and ``compelling necessity''? Mr. Dinh. Senator, that is a very good question. As you know, compelling necessity is a phrase that was used in the previous version of the Crime Victims' Rights Amendment, S.J. Res. 3, in the 106th Congress. It is a very high standard for exceptions. That is, I think, a derivative of some of the Supreme Court's cases with respect to Executive power, especially in times of danger to the national security. The phrase ``substantial interest'' is one that is derivative from the intermediate scrutiny standard of the Supreme Court-- Senator Durbin. So it would be a lower standard? Mr. Dinh. It would be a lower standard in terms of strength. It only has to be a substantial interest, rather than a compelling necessity. So as I read this, where the interest is one that touches upon public safety, or the administration of criminal justice, it need only be substantial for the court to accommodate it and thereby restricting the-- Senator Durbin. Let me ask you this question. I think in answer to Senator Feinstein you said this, but I want to make certain it's clear. Is it your belief that the phrase ``the administration of criminal justice'', which is the basis for an exception to the right of the victim to be present at trial, would include a consideration by the court as to whether the presence of the victim would in any way diminish or deny the rights of the criminally accused? Mr. Dinh. Senator, let me answer that a little bit more completely by recounting a phrase that I see every single day when I come in to see the Attorney General. Right outside his office in the rotunda is a quote that says, ``The United States wins its point whenever justice is done its citizens in the courts.'' So yes, I do believe that justice is done when victims are fully represented in the criminal justice system, and when defendants' rights are fully protected. I do think that the system and the administration of criminal justice has to accommodate not only the interest of the United States in prosecuting the guilty and exonerating the innocent, but also the rights of victims to be present and the rights of criminal defendants to have a fair trial. Senator Durbin. So if I might, Mr. Chairman, I just have two questions that are important to me and I hope we can have a few minutes to answer them. Let's get to a specific situation. Let's assume that a judge--and this constitutional amendment is on the books. A judge takes a look at the prospect of bringing into the courtroom a group of victims who could be the families of the actual victim of a violent crime, or actual victims themselves. The judge believes that the presence of those victims in the courtroom would somehow impede the constitutional right guaranteed to an impartial jury. The judge believes that their presence in the courtroom might do that. Do you believe that they have established in section 2 the grounds for that judge to say the constitutional rights of the victims do not supersede the substantial interest of the accused to an impartial jury and, therefore, I will restrict the victims from the courtroom? Mr. Dinh. I do not think I can venture a specific answer to your particular hypothetical, but I do think that under the language of the amendment, a judge can consider a substantial interest in the proper administration of criminal justice, and it may very well be how he conducts his courtroom includes such a substantial interest. Without going into a prognostication as to how this amendment would be interpreted and how judges would decide cases in particular instances, I do think there is sufficient flexibility in the amendment in order to afford a judge the opportunity to control his courtroom to best protect the interests of the criminal defendants, the rights of criminal defendants, and for a prosecutor to make decisions in order to advance the interest of the prosecution. Senator Durbin. But you wouldn't quarrel with the conclusion that if the exception relates to the administration of justice--and I think we have come to a conclusion that that includes the rights of the accused--then it certainly would relate to constitutional protections, specific constitutional protections, that the accused have in America, such as the right to an impartial jury? Mr. Dinh. I think that would be right that the administration of criminal justice include fairness to criminal defendants and fundamental protection of rights guaranteed in the Constitution. But in any event, where there are constitutional rights that may be intentioned and where a line has to be drawn, that is a task that has traditionally been done by courts, according to standards that are well- established in the constitutional law doctrines. I think this particular sentence affords further guidance along the lines you suggest. Senator Durbin. My last question is this. Let me take you from what I think is an easier conclusion to a little more contentious one, and that is the fact that we have sequestered witnesses from trials historically because we believe they'll ``go to school'' on other witnesses, that they will pick up information that is testified to and repeat it as their own, whether they're conscious of that or not. So it has been kind of a standard of evidence that, unless you are a party to a case, or have a statutory right to be present, you are excluded from the courtroom until you're called to testify. Now we're in a situation where we're dealing with victims, and possibly victims' families. Is the same basic standard going to apply? Do you believe the ``substantial interest'' exception under the administration of criminal justice allows a judge to determine that the presence of the victims or victims' families in the courtroom might in some way reduce the likelihood that they will be credible witnesses and, therefore, should be excluded? Mr. Dinh. The short answer to your question, Senator, is I do not know. I do know that under the current system, under Federal Rules of Evidence 615, there is discretion for a judge to make such kinds of determinations. I also know that in the Crime Victims Clarification Act of 1997, after the Timothy McVeigh issue that the Chairman raised and Senator Feinstein raised, Congress spoke specifically to the rights of victims in those circumstances. Both of these, of course, are statutory in nature. The Federal Rules of Evidence is pursuant to the laws of Congress to adopt it, and so is the Victims Rights Clarification Act of 1997. Those you are free to amend and interpret or legislate as you see fit. I think the specific application of this amendment as it relates to future cases, should it pass, is I think for the courts to finally adjudicate. Senator Durbin. My last question, if I might, Mr. Chairman. Section 1 begins with the rights of victims of violent crime. As you testify today, is it your belief that the term ``violent crime'' means crime as defined by both Federal and state statutes? Mr. Dinh. Yes. The amendment would be an amendment to the Constitution, and under Article VI of the Constitution, the supremacy clause, it would apply to State officials just as well as it does to Federal law. Senator Durbin. Maybe I wasn't clear. In my State of Illinois, the definition of violent crime is different than the Federal standard. So if someone is guilty of a violent crime in Illinois, by State definition, that doesn't meet the standard by Federal definition, which standard will apply to the phrase ``the rights of victims of violent crime''? Mr. Dinh. Crimes of violence are somewhat variously defined within 18 USC, the Federal Code. And as you know, it is defined in various statutes around the country, also. Because this will be a constitutional amendment, and the word ``violent crime'' will be of constitutional dimension, I would imagine the courts, in interpreting the scope of that right and the meaning of the adjective ``violent'' would be informed by the various legislative enactments that are extant. But I think the definition itself will be one of constitutional import that does not admit to either Federal or State legislative definition but may be both or neither. Senator Durbin. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for your patience. Senator Feinstein. Mr. Chairman? Senator Kyl. Yes, Senator Feinstein. Senator Feinstein. May I just for the record say that the use of the words ``administration of criminal justice'' is just that, and there are three phases: preconviction, conviction, and post-conviction. The intent is that it cover those three phases. Senator Kyl. Thank you, Senator Feinstein. First of all, Senator Durbin, I would invite you and other members of the Committee, if he is willing to do so, to submit additional written questions to Viet Dinh at the Department of Justice, to further amplify all of your questions. I thought your questions were very good questions, and there are good answers to them. For example, as one of the authors, I agree with everything that Viet Dinh has just testified to, but would further note that with regard to the last point, section 4 provides that Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article. It was our intention that questions such as definitions of who are victims, what kind of notice is required and by whom, and your last point, the definition of violent crime, could well be dealt with by appropriate Congressional legislation. If there are no further questions of Viet Dinh--yes, sir. Mr. Dinh. Can I make just one comment, one note on your last point, Senator? The language of section 4 deliberately tracks the language of section 5 of the 14th Amendment and section 2 of the 13th Amendment. As you know, there is well- established constitutional precedent as to the proper scope of Congressional authority under those provisions and, should this amendment pass, we would gladly work with you in order to comment on the appropriate legislation. Senator Kyl. We appreciate that very much. Thank you. Senator Durbin. Mr. Chairman, if I might be recognized for just a moment, I thank Professor Dinh for his testimony and I accept your invitation to continue this dialogue. I have to leave to go to another hearing, and I assure those who are here for the second panel that I will read their testimony carefully. I appreciate this opportunity for this hearing today. Senator Kyl. Thank you very much. And thank you, Viet Dinh, for your presence here, and John Gillis as well. We appreciate your being here. Now, would the members of the second panel please come forward. I will introduce you as you are coming forward, and then we'll just take you in turn. I'm going to turn to Congressman Royce in just a moment to further introduce a couple of you. Collene Campbell, who will be further introduced, and her husband, Gary, live in San Juan Capistrano, CA. Collene was the first woman to be mayor of San Juan Capistrano. After her son was murdered in 1982, she founded Memory of Victims Everywhere, or MOVE. Her family suffered another blow in 1988, when her brother, race care legend Mickey Thompson and his wife, Trudy, were murdered. Earlene Eason was raised in Chicago. She was a nurses assistant and now works in day care. She has raised three sons. Her son, Christopher, was murdered in 2000. James Orenstein is an attorney in private practice in New York City and an adjunct professor at the law schools of Fordham University and New York University. From 1990 until June, 2001, he served in the U.S. Department of Justice as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. Patricia Perry is the mother of a New York City police officer who died in the 9/11 attacks, which was referred to in Senator Leahy's testimony. Duane Lynn met his wife, Nila, when they were 16. They married at 19. After five-and-a-half years in the Navy, Duane joined the Arizona Highway Patrol. He was a dispatcher, road officer, helicopter medic. Duane and Nila had six children and 12 grandchildren. His wife, Nila, was murdered on April 19, 2000. Steve Twist is a lawyer in Phoenix. He's a former Chief Assistant Attorney General for the State of Arizona, and now serves as General Counsel for the National Victims of Constitutional Amendment Network. Mr. Twist is the author of the Arizona constitutional amendment for victims' rights and its implementing legislation. He teaches victims' rights law at the College of Law at Arizona State University, where he has also founded a free legal clinic for crime victims. At this time let me turn to Congressman Ed Royce, a Member of the United States House of Representatives from California, for a further introduction of a whole variety of Californians who are with us today. STATEMENT OF HON. ED ROYCE, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA Representative Royce. Thank you very much, Senator Kyl. I appreciate that. I'm the sponsor of the victims' rights amendment on the House side, and I am privileged to introduce Collene Thompson Campbell, who like our Assistant Attorney General Viet Dinh, is from Orange County, CA. In 1982, Collene's son, Scott, was murdered. His body was tossed out of an airplane at 2,000 feet and never recovered. Scott's death, and the near decade of grief and struggle it took to bring his killers to justice, prompted Collene to become involved in the victims' rights movement and to start a group called Memory of Victims Everywhere. In 1988, Collene helped me pass Proposition 115, the Crime Victims Justice Reform Act. She helped put it on the ballot. It required a million signatures, and it passed overwhelmingly in the State. That proposition made historic changes in California law that changed the way our criminal justice system treats victims, in some of the same ways that you intend to change here with this constitutional amendment. Many other States have copied its provisions. Collene's tragedy did not end with her son's case, and her involvement did not end with Proposition 115. In March of 1988, Collene's brother, race car driver Mickey Thompson, and his wife, Trudy, were gunned down in their own driveway in LA County. Like her son's case, that case has taken years of investigation, and the case is now finally awaiting trial. One has to ask, how can we allow our criminal justice system to add to the terrible grief these families are forced to endure? This amendment would help reform that injustice. Through all this, when others would have long ago given up hope, Collene has never stopped working. Four U.S. Presidents have honored her for her work on behalf of the rights of crime victims and their families. Her dedication and her unselfishness, her commitment, have made a difference for crime victims in California and across the country. I am very privileged to introduce to you my good friend, Collene Thompson Campbell. I thank you, Senator Kyl. Senator Kyl. Thank you very much, Congressman Royce. I was going to ask whether we should go first from the left to right or right to left, but being a conservative, I'm going to start at the right, how's that? [Laughter.] I might say that we have asked each of the witnesses to confine their remarks to 5 minutes. When I met with several of you this morning, you asked how can you possibly describe in 5 minutes all of the feelings that you've had about these issues, particularly when it has taken so long--in the case of Mrs. Campbell, for example. We understand that it's very difficult to do all of this within a short period of time, and we therefore especially appreciate your efforts to do so. Collene? STATEMENT OF COLLENE THOMPSON CAMPBELL, CITY COUNCILWOMAN, SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CALIFORNIA Mrs. Campbell. Thank you for the opportunity. My name is Collene Thompson Campbell, and it is really tough to be here. Honorable Kyl, Honorable Feinstein, Honorable Senator, I thank you for giving me this opportunity. My only son is dead because of a weak and forgiving justice system. And yes, we may be one of the hardest hit families in the nation, but we are just one victim's family out of hundreds of thousands. We continue to be deeply saddened by all four of the September 11th terrorist attacks, but we also know that every ten weeks in our Nation as many people are murdered right here in the country, every ten weeks. Our son Scott was strangled by two repeat felony criminals and thrown from an airplane, and we never found him. We couldn't even have a funeral for him. My brother, my only sibling, my friend, auto racer legend Mickey Thompson and his wife, Trudy, were shot to death as they were simply leaving their home on their way to work in the morning. For any family to deal with murder is near impossible, but to allow the American justice system to add additional pain is shameful. The U.S. Constitution was written to protect, balance and establish justice--and that is true--unless and until you have the misfortune of becoming a victim of crime. There has been tremendous pain in our family, and multiplying that grief is the fact that the moment we became a victim of crime, our rights were ignored in favor of killers. That means a murderer or rapist has rights not afforded to honest victims, all because the victim is not mentioned in our Constitution. My husband and I were not permitted, not permitted, to be in the courtroom during all three trials for the men who murdered our son. We weren't going to be witnesses. They just kicked our fanny out of there and forced us to sit in the hall. Yet the killers, with all of their family, were inside the courtroom portraying the family unit. We were not allowed to be heard, yet the killers' family were able to testify, proclaiming goodness about the evil defendants. We were not notified of a district court appeal hearing. Therefore, no one was there to represent our murdered son, Scotty. Yet, in full force, 40 members of the killers' group were present. The murder case was then overturned and there is yet to be another trial. The killer was released without concern for our safety, and we learned of all of this through the media. I called the Attorney General's prosecutor in our case and I asked why she hadn't notified us regarding the appeal. Her answer was demeaning, but very typical. She said, ``We never notify the victims. They simply don't understand.'' However, we knew the true reason we were not notified. Unlike the killer's defense, she was not required to notify us because we were only the mom and dad of the murder victim, his next-of-kin. We weren't the killer so they didn't have to notify us. I could go on and on, but I can guarantee you that the treatment that we and thousands of other victims receive is the product of others before us doing nothing. Hopefully, you will work to change that. I don't know what we're waiting for. You rarely hear from people like me because victims are too devastated to talk--and I'm devastated, as you can tell. We received no financial help in our attempt to expose the true victims' world, nor do we have attorneys representing us. We pay our own way in an effort to improve the justice system to save others. I paid my own way to be here today. All we have is the honesty and integrity of good Americans asking for a balanced justice system, and we need your help now. At a huge cost to taxpayers and our life personally, we have been forced to be in the justice system for 21 straight years, with no right for a speedy trial. And there's no end in sight for our family. And what kind of a torture in the justice system is that for a family who is trying to live a normal life? We ask you to move forward with a proposed constitutional amendment to give the same rights to victims as the accused have. The amendment we seek does not take away rights from criminals. On behalf of all crime victims, thank you for allowing me to be heard--and that's all crime victims. I only hope you did hear me today and that you will react to the real world that we've been forced to endure. And I want to give a special thanks to Senator Kyl and Senator Feinstein, my Senator from California. Thank you for caring, thank you for seeing the truth, and we really do appreciate you. Thank you very much. [The prepared statement of Mrs. Campbell appears as a submission for the record.] Senator Kyl. Thank you, Collene. We will now hear from Earlene Eason of Gary, IN. Earlene. STATEMENT OF EARLENE EASON, GARY, INDIANA Ms. Eason. Mr. Chairman and Senators, my name is Earlene Eason, and I presently reside in Gary, IN. I strongly support the crime victims' rights amendment. I would like to share with you my unfortunate experience as a crime victim after the murder of my 16 year old son, Christopher. He was murdered on July 16, 2000. I had relocated from Minneapolis, MN to Gary, IN. About a year after relocating, I thought allowing him a few weeks vacation with a neighbor, and previous neighbor, Penny Jackson, back in Minneapolis would help ease Christopher's transition to a new city. Back in Minneapolis, while on vacation, my son was killed, murdered in a manner which no human being deserves to die. He was shot point blank in the lower back with a sawed-off shotgun. Forensics revealed that my son was trying to run when he was grabbed by the back of the shirt and pulled back onto the barrel of the shotgun and then the trigger was pulled. The killer was a 24 year old from El Salvador. After my son's murder, the criminal justice system in Minneapolis treated me very badly. I was not informed of the death of my son by the authorities. Over 13 hours after my son's body was found Ms. Penny Jackson called. My family and I were not told we had rights. However, we were promised by the district attorney's office that they would keep in touch with us about the case. This would turn out to be an empty promise. First, the DA said the charge would be first degree murder. We only learned of the actual charges filed--which were second degree murder--from the newspaper. Only after the press had printed and distributed the newspaper and after we had read it were we notified. We also experienced significant financial hardship because of other failures to give us adequate notice. All of this wasted expense, which we could not afford, was due to constant trips to Minneapolis for court dates, which were frequently changed without adequate notice to me and my fiance. My son's father, who resides in California, purchased several flight tickets. He was never informed of any date changes. The district attorney's office failed to contact him and inform him of anything. He became so frustrated that he gave up on coming out to any of the hearings due to the expense of cancelled tickets and the fear of losing his job from the disruption of his work schedule because of the failure to notify him. The first trial was a hung jury, 11 to 1 to convict. The trial took place on October 17th, 2000. When I and other members of the family asked for another trial, we were treated as simpletons, as if we were invisible. Approximately 2 months later, the DA's office and the defense attorney decided to plea bargain. I was informed of this only after the fact. They had already agreed to the plea bargain. I was informed of the initial date for plea and sentencing dates, but there were several continuances. We received very short notice of these changing dates, which was very disruptive to my fiance's job. Finally, the date was set for 9-12-01. We were going to fly to Minneapolis from Chicago. Then the airports were shut down because of 9/11. I called the district attorney's office and asked for the proceeding to be re scheduled. The deputy DA affirmatively discouraged me from attending. He believed it was more important to have a tactical advantage by getting a sentence the day after 9/11 than it was important for me, the mother of a murdered son, to attend and speak at the sentencing of my son's killer. The DA did not ask the court for a continuance on our behalf, even though there had been many continuances granted for other reasons, and I had never asked for a continuance before. As a result, I was unable to appear in court to try to object to the plea bargain or speak at sentencing, even though it was very important to do so. My son's cold-blooded killer is getting only 11 years of real time for killing my son. I feel like the DA and the justice system thought this was just another African-American kid killed and that our family didn't deserve to be treated with plain decency. I was told I could not get restitution. This does not seem right. The constitutional amendment would greatly help victims efforts to get restitution. We were assured we would get financial help even for therapy, and I went for as long as long as I could afford to pay for it out of my own pocket. I then had to stop because I could no longer afford it. As a result of no therapy, I became physically sick and could not work. To this day, I have received no financial assistance for therapy. In closing, I would like to say we were treated without compassion or respect by a justice system that really didn't care. People receive more compassion for the loss of a pet than we received from the justice system for the loss of our son. I would like to ask the Senate to hear us, to realize that the victims of crime should not have to take this any more. I feel powerless, but I know you have the power to vote yes on the constitutional amendment, to keep what happened to us from happening to anyone else. It is time for you to stand by me and for you to pass this amendment so that people like me don't have to take this any more. We should have had rights in this, and we had none. Thank you. [The prepared statement of Ms. Eason appears as a submission for the record.] Senator Kyl. Thank you, Ms. Eason. Mr. Patricia Perry. Thank you for being here. STATEMENT OF PATRICIA PERRY, SEAFORD, NEW YORK Mrs. Perry. Thank you, Senators Kyl and Feinstein, and Honorable Ed Royce, for this opportunity to share my views on the proposed victims' rights amendment. My name is Patricia Perry and I speak on behalf of my husband, James, our daughter, Janice Perry Montoya, and our son, Joel Perry, in memory of their brother, our son, John William Perry, a New York City police officer who volunteered to assist employees escaping the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, and himself became a victim. John graduated from New York University School of Law, but he wanted the experience of being a police officer. When he received the opportunity to enter the New York City Police Academy, he left his partnership in a law firm and eagerly trained to learn how to protect the public from those who would cause harm. While in the NYPD, John also served as a pro bono lawyer for those whose civil rights or civil liberties had been violated. He served as legal advisor to the Kings County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children and was a volunteer arbitrator for the small claims court in Manhattan, and also served as a lieutenant in the New York State Guard. He was serious about his goals, but full of humor and had an infectious smile. After 8 years of service in the NYPD, which included nearly 5 years in the legal department, John decided he would return to private law practice. On September 11th, 2001, John went to One Police Plaza, completed his retirement papers, and turned in his badge. The first plane crashed through Tower One. He immediately retrieved his badge and ran to the World Trade Center, just minutes away. He met a friend, Captain Pearson, and entered the underground plaza. They worked together to help panicked workers find a safe way out of the area. He did not find safety for himself and became a victim. John believed in the integrity of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and the institutions of our government that are established to pursue the guilty through legal means. Our system, as we have heard, is not infallible. It can at times be both insensitive to the needs of victims and less than competent in its prosecution of criminals. We know there are cases where the guilty have gone unpunished, and where innocent people have been convicted and even executed. These are issues that need to be addressed, but we suggest this amendment is not the appropriate tool, nor will it remedy these flaws. Our family agrees that John would appreciate the concern for victims, but would oppose the victims' rights amendment. Our family believes the best way for Congress to support victims and their families is to promote and support a system of justice that provides fair and just convictions of the criminals responsible for crimes. We believe this constitutional amendment threatens the system of checks and balances in the current justice system and that it could actually compromise the ability of prosecutors to obtain convictions for those responsible for the carnage on 9/11. We believe that, to the extent this amendment is effective, it is unworkable, and even dangerous. And to the extent that it does nothing, it is an empty promise for victims who need real resources and real support. We believe that criminal convictions should not be based on the emotions of victims and families, particularly in situations where we are not relevant witnesses to the crime. On the other hand, victims should clearly have the opportunity to participate in the penalty phases of a case after a defendant has been found guilty. As we have seen in the aftermath of this tragedy and others, victims do not always agree on the best way a case should be handled. Under this amendment, as we understand it, victims would have the right to give input in the criminal case even before the conviction, which could compromise the government's prosecution of the case. Moreover, if the amendment passes, who will be entitled to these constitutional rights? Defining ``victim'' is not always easy and can present problems that cannot be ignored. Even the most well-intention efforts cannot always anticipate the problems that might arise. Look at the ongoing dissention that has been caused in defining ``victim'' under the Victims' Compensation Act. In a criminal case, it seems that defining victim will be even more challenging, particularly when the victim cannot represent him or herself. Who decides who is the true representative to be heard? How long will it take if every family member of every victim of 9/ 11 is allowed to input a position on procedure of a case against someone like Zacharias Moussaoui? I was interviewed, as were many family members, by the Justice Department, in order for the prosecution to choose a sample of family members to testify during the penalty stage. The Justice Department already determined that not all families are necessary in the penalty stage of this trial. This proposed amendment allows for the waiving of the right of all families to be heard in such cases, but with large numbers of victims, who passes the test for inclusion? How will different viewpoints be reconciled if all must be heard? And if, as the amendment allows, our newly found constitutional rights are easily waived, the intended relief the amendment supposedly provides to victims becomes meaningless. We would suggest that instead of focusing on this amendment, Congress should ensure that resources are offered as needed to help heal the pain and loss of victims and victims' families, as you have before you today. The response of the American and foreign populations to our loss on 9/11 has been a great support. But most victims do not receive this love and support. Our hope is that we all consider the benefits of turning our attention to providing real help to victims, and we do so without compromising the integrity of our Constitution. Many States have begun to provide funds to assist victims of crime. More work should be done at the State and Federal legislative level and this amendment is not only distracting legislators from doing it, but is also causing hurtful and needless dissentions within the victim community. Can you imagine how wrenching it is for our family to find ourselves at odds with other victims' families over this political issue, which will in any event do so little for crime victims. We want justice for our son, and for the daughters and sons, husbands and wives, partners, mothers and fathers who are victims of every crime. We deserve that our government and law enforcement personnel protect us as much as possible from harm. My son, John Perry, believed strongly in the rule of law and the right of the people to direct our elected representatives, like yourselves, to use good judgment in establishing sound laws. Thank you. [The prepared statement of Ms. Perry appears as a submission for the record.] Senator Kyl. Thank you, Ms. Perry. Professor James Orenstein, we are pleased to have you with us. STATEMENT OF JAMES ORENSTEIN, ESQ., NEW YORK, NEW YORK, FORMER ASSISTANT UNITED STATES ATTORNEY FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK Mr. Orenstein. Good morning, Mr. Chairman, distinguished members. Thank you for inviting me to appear before you today. As a Federal prosecutor for most of my career, I have been privileged to work closely with a number of crime victims as well as talented lawyers on all sides of this issue, including several here today, to make sure that any victims' rights amendment will provide real relief for victims of violent crimes without jeopardizing law enforcement. I think it my be possible to do both, but I also believe there are better solutions that do not carry the severe risks to law enforcement inherent in using the Constitution to address the problem. In particular, I believe that the current bill will in some cases sacrifice the effective prosecution of criminals to achieve only marginal improvements for their victims. In the last 20 years, Congress has enacted several statutes that improve victims' rights in the criminal justice system. One of them, the Victims' Rights Clarification Act, effectively addressed the problem of victim exclusion from the courtroom in the Oklahoma City bombing case, where I was one of the prosecution team. As a result of that statute, no victim was excluded from testifying at the penalty hearing on the basis of having watched the trial. More importantly, in considering whether this amendment is necessary and effective, you should know that Judge Matsch's actions after the enactment of that statute would likely have been exactly the same if this amendment had been in effect. In addition to Federal legislation, every single State has enacted its own victims' rights laws. The only thing lacking is uniformity in the States' adoption of the full range of protections that this body has provided. As a result, the main benefit to be gained by this amendment is not the elimination of injustices that its supporters have described today. Most of those injustices are either already violations of existing law and, therefore, would not be cured by this amendment, or are beyond the reach of an amendment that promises not to deny the historic protections of the Bill of Rights. Instead, the limited benefit would be uniformity in the States, a uniformity gained only by allowing Congress to mandate changes in State criminal justice systems. The same result, however, could likely be achieved without a constitutional amendment through the use of Federal spending power to give States proper incentives to meet uniform national standards. But unlike reliance on such legislation, using the Constitution to achieve such uniformity carries the risk of irremediable problems for law enforcement. I want to stress that, in my view, the potential risks for law enforcement are not the result simply of recognizing the legal rights of victims. Prosecution efforts are generally more effective if crime victims are regularly consulted during the course of a case. There are, however, a number of cases where the victim of one crime is also the offender in another, and in such cases, this amendment could harm law enforcement. For example, when a mob soldier decides to testify for the government, premature disclosure of his cooperation can lead to his murder and compromise the investigation. Under this amendment, such disclosures could easily come from victims who are more sympathetic to the criminals than the government. As Senator Kyl mentioned before with Mr. Dinh, when John Gotti's underboss decided to cooperate, he initially remained in jail with Mr. Gotti and was at grave risk if his cooperation became known. Luckily, that did not happen. But the victims who would have been covered by this amendment, had it been in effect at the time, and had the wording of this current bill been in effect at the time, they probably would have gotten notice. Relatives of those gangsters who the underboss had murdered on Gotti's order would almost certainly have been notified, and notified Gotti, if they could have done so. I have heard supporters of this amendment answer that this problem can be solved simply by closing a cooperator's guilty plea to the public. However, the 1st and 6th Amendments make it extraordinarily difficult to do that. As a result, the need for discretion is usually handled not by closing the courtroom but by scheduling guilty pleas without notice, and at times when the courtroom is likely to be empty. Such pragmatic problem- solving cannot work under this amendment. In the prison context, inmates who assault one another may have little interest in working with prosecutors to promote law enforcement, but they may have a very real and perverse interest in disrupting prison administrations by insisting on the full range of victim services that the courts will allow. Some of those services could force prison wardens to choose between costly steps to afford victim inmates their participatory rights and foregoing the prosecution of offenses committed within prison walls. Either of these choices could endanger prison guards. The risk to law enforcement arises not from giving rights to crime victims but from using the Constitution to do so. There are two basic ways this bill could cause more problems than using legislation to protect victims' rights: first, by not adequately allowing for appropriate exceptions, and second, by delaying and complicating trials. I explain at more length in my written statement how particular aspects of the wording of the current proposal could harm law enforcement. I think, in response to what Mr. Dinh was saying before, one of the main issues that I still have is the use of the word ``restrictions'' rather than the word ``exceptions'' in section 2. That's a change from the version 3 years ago. That could deprive prosecutors and prison officials of the flexibility needed for safe and effective enforcement, and could make the arguments that Mr. Dinh was using earlier today ineffective in a court. But beyond such wording issues, some problems are created by the very fact that, contrary to the claims of some supporters of this bill, the current version of the victims' rights amendment discards some of the carefully crafted language that was the product of years of study and reflection--and that's what I'm talking about in the difference between ``exceptions'' and ``restrictions''. And there are other examples in my written remarks. Our criminal justice system has done much in recent years to improve the way it treats victims of crimes, and it has much yet to do. The Crime Victims' Assistance Act, co-sponsored by Senator Leahy and other members of this Committee, is a good example of legislation that should be enacted, regardless of whether you also amend the Constitution. By adopting a legislative approach now, you may well find that the potential harm to law enforcement inherent in the constitutional amendment need not be risked. Some say the kinds of concerns I describe today make the perfect the enemy of the good. But if supporters of victims' rights, among whose numbers I count myself, allow the desire for a symbolic victory of a constitutional amendment to distract them and to distract you from passing legislation that could achieve all of their substantive goals more effectively and with less risk to law enforcement, they run the risk of making the flawed the enemy of the perfect. We must never lose sight of the fact that the single best way prosecutors and police can help crime victims is to ensure the capture, conviction and punishment of criminals. In my opinion, as a former prosecutor, the proposed constitutional amendment achieves the goal of national uniformity for crime victims only be jeopardizing law enforcement. By doing so, it ill serves the crime victims whose rights and needs we all want to protect. Thank you very much. [The prepared statement of Mr. Orenstein appears as a submission for the record.] Senator Kyl. Thank you, Professor Orenstein. Mr. Duane Lynn. STATEMENT OF DUANE LYNN, PEORIA, ARIZONA Mr. Lynn. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, Senators. My name is Duane Lynn. Three years ago, Wednesday, April the 19th, 2000, started out like any other ordinary day. But my plans were interrupted and the events of that afternoon changed my life and that of my family forever. In the middle of the afternoon, an angry, bitter man, named Richard Glassel, came into our homeowners association meeting in the Vintana Lakes Community where my wife and I lived. I resided on the board. He simply walked into the room, announced to everyone ``I'm going to kill you'', and he started shooting. He had three handguns, one assault rifle, over 700 rounds of ammunition, and a suicide note in his pocket. He had one purpose in mind that afternoon, to kill everyone that he could. He was mad about the way the homeowners association trimmed his bushes in his yard months before, and he was going to have the last word. Ultimately he wounded several, and he killed two before his gun jammed and he was tackled to the ground. One of the two killed was my wife. I made it out alive. We had been married 49 years and 9 months. We almost made it to 50. We have six kids, and they had been secretly saving up their money and were going to give us a 50th wedding anniversary party in July. The money ended up paying for a casket. She died in my arms there on the floor that afternoon. It all last only just a few seconds, 23 seconds of one man's rage that changed my life forever. She was absolutely everything to me. But, unfortunately, my story doesn't stop there. As a result of this violent crime, we became victims and faces in our judicial sys-tem, something brand new to us. We were told from the very beginning that we could give an impact statement at the sentence phase of the trial. At the time, we really didn't understand just what all that meant. All we knew was that it was going to be our time to have a voice in this horrible ordeal, our day in court. It took almost 3 years for that to happen. Just this past January, I gave my impact statement to the jury before the sentence of the shooter, Richard Glassel. He had already been found guilty. This was after the fact, at the sentencing phase. The courts told me that I could talk about my wife in my impact statement. I could talk about how this has all made an impact on my life. But I was also told that I had to stop short of talking about how I felt this murderer should be sentenced. I could give no comment on that. I even had to hand over my impact statement to be preread by the defense attorney, the prosecuting attorney, and the judge. Certain parts were ultimately censored, and I had to make the changes. Then, right before I read my statement in that courtroom, the defense lawyer, in his closing arguments, made reference to what the jury would be hearing from me as a victim and began disclosing my every word and my thoughts in a lighthearted manner. One can only assume that he wanted to lessen the impact of my statement. I couldn't believe it. I never realized, until having gone through this, that there are just a handful of players involved in what happens in a courtroom. The legal system calls that ``being a party involved''. The prosecuting attorney is considered a party to what happens in the courtroom; the defense attorney is considered a party as to what happens in the courtroom; the defendant is considered a party to what takes place. All of these parties can give a recommendation as to what should happen to Mr. Glassel, what kind of a sentence he should have. The jury can hear even the murderer's family as to what they would recommend his sentence should be. Land of the free, home of the brave. Mr. Glassel dealt with his problems in a cowardly way, and in this land of the free, we, as the family of the victim, which was my wife, my love, the person that I still expect to see walk through my front door every day, as she did for 50 years, she was a real person, not just a name and a number on a document. We could say nothing about the consequences of that man who took all this away from me. My wife is not considered a party in all this. She can't make a recommendation. She has no say. She's gone. We are her voice now, and even though we were there for every step of the way for over 2 years and 8 months that this process took, with 60 courtroom hearings, we by law had to remain silent on this issue. We just helplessly sat by there on the front row and we watched all the parties give comments concerning the statements and the sentencing. You have no idea what that feels like. The evil done by a murderer inflicts tragedy, and that is bad enough. But injuries inflicted by friends, our legal system, are even harder to take. More betrayal, more disbelief that this was unfolding as it was. I felt kicked around and ignored by the very system the government has in place to protect law-abiding citizens. I was a highway patrolman for 18 years. I lived by the rules. I enforced the laws of the State of Arizona. And now I have to sit in silence. The jury never heard that I wanted to recommend a life sentence. They gave him a death penalty. I had my reasons. The system has failed the victim regarding capital punishment cases. We understand that our judicial system is there to protect the innocent, but in doing so, we erred on the side of a defendant and not the family of the victims. There is something wrong when a prisoner convicted of first degree murder, two counts, has more rights in the courtroom than the families of the victims he has murdered. How imbalanced do we want the judicial scale? I am here today to ask you to be on the same side as the victim of the crime. Allow us, as victims, to make a recommendation as to the sentencing of the defendant. Give me a voice and as a party in the courtroom. It is our case that is before the Arizona Supreme Court now on this very issue. I support this amendment and my hope is that in the future victims won't have to go through the betrayal that we felt by the courts. As stated earlier, let's fulfill the promise. Thank you, ma'am. [The prepared statement of Mr. Lynn appears as a submission for the record.] Senator Feinstein. [Presiding.] Thank you very much, Mr. Lynn. Mr. Twist, you're next. STATEMENT OF STEVEN J. TWIST, GENERAL COUNSEL, NATIONAL VICTIMS CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT NETWORK Mr. Twist. Madam Chairman and Senators, thank you. My name is Steve Twist. I am grateful for the invitation to present the views of the National Victims Constitutional Amendment Network, a national coalition of America's leading crime victims' rights and services organization, including Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the National Organization for Victim Assistance, and the National Organization of Parents of Murdered Children, among many others. We especially want to thank you, Senator Feinstein and Senator Kyl for your steadfast and faithful leadership on our cause and for championing our cause. Let me say also on behalf of our National movement how grateful we are to the President and to the Attorney General for remaining also steadfast in pursuit of the goal of a constitutional right for crime victims. If skeptics needed any more evidence of the need for a Federal amendment, the case of Duane Lynn should be all they need. For years, critics have said--and you've heard it here this morning--statutes are enough, State constitutional amendments are enough. I have asked the critics over these same years to look at the real world that confronts victims of crime in criminal cases. Here is Duane Lynn's real world. Arizona has a strong State amendment. Among other things, it provides victims with the right to be heard at any proceeding involving sentencing. Our legislature has further implemented that right by specifically providing that a victim's right to be heard at sentencing includes the right to offer an opinion regarding the appropriate sentence. We filed a motion seeking to preserve this right for Mr. Lynn. The trial court denied our motion. We filed a special action in the State Court of Appeals and the court accepted our petition but denied relief. We filed a petition for review in the Arizona Supreme Court and asked for a stay. The petition was accepted, but the stay was denied. So the sentencing went forward and the jury did not hear Mr. Lynn ask for life imprisonment, and the defendant was given the death penalty. Throughout the legal battle, the courts claimed that for Mr. Lynn to ask for life and not death denied the defendant his 8th Amendment rights against cruel and unusual punishment. This is the legal culture to which Mr. Orenstein and other critics of our amendment remain so hide-bound. This is the culture which he and others propose to fix with a statute. I have thought how could this be? I must have missed something. And then I read Mr. Orenstein's testimony again and something jumped out at me that I had missed. It's right here in the first paragraph, right after he sets the theme that these rights will hurt law enforcement and prosecution. And by the way, as a former prosecutor for 12 years, who prosecuted violent crime cases and who supervised the prosecution of organized crime and racketeering and drug trafficking cases, with all due respect, I dismiss the fears that have been presented to the Committee about the negative impact on law enforcement and prosecution. But you don't need to listen to me. Those fears are also contradicted by more than a decade of experience in my State. And they are also rejected by the California DA's Association and other DA's around the country, by the International Association of Chiefs of Police, by the Justice Department. These are not the things that are so telling, however, about the gulf that divides Mr. Orenstein and myself on the amendment. What is telling is right here on the front page. Let me read it to you. ``...the current language of the Victims' Rights Amendment...will achieve marginal procedural improvements for their victims.'' It is this phrase, ``marginal procedural improvements'' that haunts me. That's what Mr. Orenstein thinks this is all about, marginal procedural improvements. I do not presume, as Mr. Orenstein and others do, to decide for Collene and Gary Campbell how important it is for them to be in the courtroom during the trial of their son's murderers. I do not want to decide for her, and I don't want my government, in an exercise of hideous paternalism, to decide for her. I don't presume to decide for Miss Eason that it's marginally important for her to know about and be heard about the plea bargain offered to her son's murderers. I don't presume, as does Mr. Orenstein and others, that it is of marginal value for Duane Lynn to have the same right as his wife's murderer and the murderer's family to offer his opinion on the sentence to be imposed, and to ask for life and not the death penalty. Mr. Orenstein and others presume these things to be of marginal value. In a free society, I prefer to presume that free Americans should be able to decide for themselves whether these things are marginal. For 7 years, through extensive hearings in both Houses, we have presented to the Congress case after case of injustice. We have presented a strong and, indeed, a compelling national consensus that only an amendment to the U.S. Constitution can end the injustice: former President Clinton, former Vice President Gore, former Attorney General Janet Reno, President Bush, Attorney General Ashcroft, the platforms of both the Democratic and Republican parties, constitutional scholar Larry Tribe, the list goes on and on, the vast majority of Governors, 41 Attorneys General, prosecutors, the California DA's Association, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the mainstream of America's victims' rights movement, leading business groups, and the overwhelming voice of voters in 33 States, who when asked to support a constitutional rights amendment for victims answered yes by over 80 percent, all joined together in a chorus that rejects the fear of the critics and stands with America's crime victims to give them the freedom to choose, to decide what is important for them in their case in court. Nothing but a constitutional amendment will give them that freedom. Arizona's constitution hasn't done it, Arizona statutes haven't done it. Nothing but an amendment to the U.S. Constitution. So, for Duane and Collene and Earlene and the millions who stand with them, we ask you to lead their cause. [The prepared statement of Mr. Twist appears as a submission for the record.] Senator Kyl. [Presiding.] Thank you very much, Mr. Twist. I was called out of the hearing with a reminder that I'm required to be at another place right now. But I wasn't able to acknowledge both Cathy and Patty, Duane Lynn's daughters being here in the front row behind Duane. I wanted to be sure and do that. It is not only Duane who has been hurt by his wife's murder, but also his daughters. We very much appreciate your being here, and thank you, Mr. Twist, for your statement. What I would like to do is ask a question and then turn the hearing over to Senator Feinstein, with recognition that Senator Kennedy is now here. In addition to whatever time he may wish to take with questions, Senator Kennedy, if you would like to make a statement, feel free to do that as well. And we have left the hearing open for any written questions, so if you have written questions, those would be appropriate as well. I had two questions. I have so many questions that I would like to ask, particularly of the victims here. I think the statement that Mr. Twist just concluded with summarizes the point that would have been made, and that is that, in each individual case, there is a very real and very personal hurt that occurs when the criminal justice system appears to turn its back on victims, not to help them through the process. I got involved in this, I might say, before I was ever in any elected office, before I ever ran for any elected office, trying to help victims of crime in my own county in Arizona, because I saw that no one was giving them a hand and helping them through the process. Then I became aware that it wasn't only that but it was a matter of not being able to do basic things--not the same things that defendants do, because, understandably, they're going to have rights that victims could never have--but at least to participate in a way that would help them work through the process and make others aware of their situation. There are two very different questions I would like to ask. Mr. Twist, I want you to please answer these, if you could. And then, if others would like to answer them as well, that's fine. The basic question is, even in a State like Arizona, where you've done as lot of work--and there is a constitutional provision and a statute--you have testified to some extent why that's insufficient. So my first question is, there have been suggestions that a Federal statute might work here. What is your opinion of that? Why won't State statutes and a Federal statute work? What is it about a constitutional amendment that would actually protect these rights, whereas the State statutes don't, and in your opinion, a Federal statute would not? Secondly, precisely to Professor Orenstein's question--I might say, by the way, that those were very good questions. They're the same questions that we've been asking over the course of many years. Instead of having me tell you, Professor Orenstein, or others, how we have tried to deal with those questions--and most of them have to do with the exception to the rule, where you may not want to have a victim present or where it may be difficult because of the number of victims present and so on--but I would like to ask Mr. Twist, who was an author of the amendment, to describe how we tried to deal with all of those ``what if'' situations, those hypotheticals that may not occur very often, but when they do, they're still important, how we tried to deal with those in this amendment. Mr. Twist. And I must please beg your forgiveness for having to leave. I would like to give the gavel to Senator Feinstein, who will conduct the remainder of the hearing. Mr. Twist. Senator Kyl, let me say how grateful we are to you also for championing our cause and for your leadership on this issue. We're truly grateful. As to the first question, Senator, I think the answer of why a Federal amendment as opposed to statutes, or State constitutional amendments, is the same answer that James Madison gave to critics of the Bill of Rights, when that question was posed to then Congressman Madison, who offered the bill during the first Congress. He observed that only the Constitution of the United States is the law of all of us. Only the Constitution of the United States reaches in this context to the criminal justice systems of every State. Only the Constitution of the United States has the power to change the culture of the criminal justice system, and that is clearly what is needed. Effectively written laws, constitutional amendments, State statutes, State constitutional amendments, have proven over 20 years of experience to be inadequate to change the culture. It is precisely for the same reasons that Madison wanted to incorporate the Bill of Rights that we seek to incorporate these rights into the law of all of us, which is the U.S. Constitution, because only the Constitution has the power to change the culture. As to the specific fears of Mr. Orenstein, I respect his views. I respect his observation as a former Federal prosecutor of the need not to hamper prosecution. But I would say that if you look and parse through each of the areas of concern--and I believe Mr. Dinh did a good job of addressing those--firstly, the Constitution speaks of the requirement to provide reasonable notice. It allows exceptions for public safety and for the administration of justice. In combination, this carefully-crafted amendment will not admit the gross injustices or gross challenges to public safety that Mr. Orenstein fears. It simply will not. And were it otherwise, you wouldn't have the International Association of Chiefs of Police, a strong voice of law enforcement, behind the amendment. You wouldn't have the endorsement of the Justice Department and the prosecutors there. You wouldn't have the endorsement of the California District Attorneys Association. Reasonable notice, with exceptions for public safety and the administration of justice, provide the flexibility that any judge would need, any administrator would need, to be able to determine how to appropriately and properly protect the public safety and the administration of justice in any case. That's exactly why the amendment is written in the way it is. The same thing is true with the prison examples. Reasonable notice, the right not to be excluded is not the right to force your jailer to release you from jail to go to a proceeding. It's the right not to be excluded if you can present yourself there, and if the law otherwise requires that you are not allowed to present yourself there, then so be it. The amendment isn't implicated. That's why it says the right not to be excluded. Even if it didn't say the right not to be excluded, the exception or restriction for public safety, if there are safety threats in transporting prisoners, there is clearly an exception allowed, a restriction allowed, in those circumstances. On Mr. Orenstein's point about the difference between the word ``restriction'' and the word ``exception'', I accept Senator Durbin's characterization. I mean, you read that, you read those sentences together, those words together, and the Constitution provides enough flexibility for these issues to be resolved by a judge or administrator or whoever would need to do it. I would be happy to continue, Senator Feinstein, if you think more is necessary. Senator Feinstein. [Presiding.] [Mike off.] One thing, all of this is crafted in that a plea bargain would not apply. Mr. Twist. I take a broader view than Mr. Orenstein in his testimony has taken, on the flexibility that the courts have under the current CFR to close proceedings. I would just commend to the Committee's attention the statement that was submitted by Professor Doug Baloof at Lewis & Clark Law School on this precise point, because I think he addresses it very well. Senator Feinstein. Thanks very much, Mr. Twist. I'm going to defer to Senator Kennedy now and will ask my questions afterwards. Senator Kennedy. Thank you very much, Madam Chairman. I will include my statement in the record. Senator Kennedy. I want to give Mr. Orenstein a chance to respond to some of the statements that we've heard here. They have done a pretty good job on your testimony and I would be interested in your reaction to this. Mr. Orenstein. There are several points I would like to address, and I will try and be brief. On the main one in Mr. Twist's prepared statement, of course, I do not suggest that it should be up to prosecutors or any part of the Federal Government to decide which rights of victims are more important than others, or which are of more value. My concern is that this amendment either accomplishes little and perhaps harms more than it can deliver, or that whatever it delivers, it delivers at the expense of law enforcement. That is the context in which the phrase that Mr. Twist quoted is presented. The flexibility problem, which we're all concerned with-- and I worked with Mr. Twist when I was at the Department of Justice to try and get this right. I think we had it actually in some ways better in S.J. Res. 3. But here's the problem. There is a difference between an exception and a restriction. If you take the example of reasonable notice of a guilty plea, if you say that we're going to find a way not to provide notice at all, that's not providing ``reasonable notice''. It's just not providing notice. It's not a restriction; it's an exception. If we have an ability to provide exceptions, that's fine. But the amendment, as it's drafted, says the right shall not be denied and may only be restricted in certain circumstances. So my concern is that courts would read that, and also read the history of this amendment as it has progressed from version to version, and say that where we're trying to not give notice because of safety concerns, we can't do it. It isn't allowed under the wording of this amendment. The prison context, again it's partly a question of how the language has changed from one draft to another. The previous draft said-- Senator Kennedy. The point is, this isn't a drafting issue or question. This is a broader kind of issue. I mean, is this a technical kind of question that can be worked on through with the drafting? I mean, many of the points talked about is sort of a change in the culture in terms of protecting the rights, and the only way that we're really going to change that in the criminal justice system, which has grown over this period of years, is if you're going to have a constitutional amendment. I don't want to be putting words in, but you mentioned some of these things, that this is the way it's going to have to be done in order to give more life to these victims and this is the only way and it can't be done by statute. Then he indicated that you just don't understand this as a prosecutor. I want to kind of get your reaction and response to that. I personally don't agree with it, but I want to hear your position on it. Mr. Orenstein. I don't agree, in a couple of ways. First, in terms of the culture, the culture is changing. It has changed a lot over the past 20 years, and it needs to continue changing. My own personal experience is that I've handled a murder case where I did not adequately consult with the victims--and I've regretted it for over a decade since. I had a real education in working on the Oklahoma City bombing case, where I saw not only the necessity of working with victims, but the value to the case of doing so. I think our culture has changed a lot. One way it has changed is in the arena of death penalty prosecutions, where victims now do have a right to speak at capital sentencing proceedings. Obviously, there are limits that the due process clause still puts on it, including limits on opining about the sentence. But even speaking at a sentencing hearing at all, just giving factual information about the impact of the crime, that used to be considered unlawful. States passed laws to change it and aggressively litigated it, and those laws worked. The Supreme Court endorsed those laws in Payne vs. Tennessee 10 years ago. The culture is changing, and there are ways to change the culture through statutes, through aggressive advocacy, and through better prosecution. As I said in my prepared testimony, I think there are steps that this body has not yet tried. A spending-based statute that will encourage every State to adopt this uniform floor of victims' rights hasn't been tried. I think it could work. I think it would be a shame not to try it. Senator Kennedy. You believe that ought to be tried before a constitutional amendment? Mr. Orenstein. Well, certainly this goes back to my technical concerns. Mr. Twist and I, or Mr. Dinh and I, can argue back and forth over what the right interpretation is. I hope I'm wrong, but I don't know, and neither does anyone else here. If I turn out to be right, and it's a statute we're talking about, we can fix it. If it's a constitutional amendment, we can't. Senator Kennedy. This is, I guess, Judge Rehnquist's position. Let me thank all the witnesses. Senator Kyl and others have commented that we are very mindful of these incredible losses that you've experienced. We know how difficult it is in listening to the witnesses. And to Miss Perry and Mr. Lynn, we are grateful to you for your willingness to be here and speak on this issue. It is incredibly difficult and we're thankful. I just wanted to ask Mrs. Perry about--I got in here late because we were over at the Armed Services Committee earlier and I apologize for being late for this meeting. It is certainly an impressive life that your son had led, and the enormously impressive way in which he gave his last full measure to try and save others. It's an incredible act of heroism in the highest order of the Judao-Christian definition of a life that's well led. He had this particular interest in terms of, I guess, civil rights and civil liberties through his pro bono services as a lawyer. Could you talk just a moment about that? Is this something that was very special to him? Mrs. Perry. I would just mention, also, that unfortunately you were not here for the testimony of the other two women, which was very compelling. John was--I'm his mother, so forgive me--he was an exceptional person. We said he didn't sleep and he kept his life busy from one minute to the other, and he did fit in all kinds of activities, including assisting friends and organizations who had legal questions. He enjoyed very much using his legal knowledge. After his death, even months later, we were getting telephone calls from people whom he had represented pro bono, who didn't even know he was the person involved. They would ask, ``Is this the John Perry we heard about?'' A woman he met by chance at a railroad station, who needed help, an actress who was having John represent her in some kind of a problem. A couple from Germany who had been here a few years, and years ago he helped them with a landlord/tenant case. He just enjoyed life to the fullest. He enjoyed showing people how they could help themselves, and we rejoice in that. He also was in many organizations, and he spoke out for all people, on all topics, and was very open to different ideas. Now, I don't want to get off into John too much, even though I could talk for 20 minutes and you all would be bored. But I was struck by something that Mrs. Feinstein reported, that victims used to have the kind of rights that we think we're talking about today, until 1850. I would say that even after 1850, victims or victims' friends took these rights, because we have a whole history in our country of frontier justice and of lynchings, where there was no due process. So while we may be negligent in really assisting the families of victims today, we don't want to go back to the point where we, as victims, and our friends, are allowed to take vengeance on someone who has not been thoroughly given their rights in court. It's a very dangerous point. So I think my son, John, with all his interest in the law, and in acting, and friends and people, would want to make sure that we do keep close to the system we have put in place, even while recognizing the system in some places fails because we are humans. Maybe in Arizona they failed, and maybe in Minneapolis and in California, that individual courts and individual judges and prosecutors have not been sensitive. But the system, as a whole, is much better than it was when we used to not have these legal people in place to take care of us. I don't know if I've answered your question. Senator Kennedy. Very good. Thank you. Senator Feinstein. Thank you very much, Senator Kennedy. I wanted to point out that the first constitutional amendment giving victims any rights was California's in 1982. On my side of the aisle, there were not a lot of people in San Francisco supportive of it. I was mayor at the time and I was one of the few that supported it--party because of a specific case that pointed out what is lacking in the system today. Well, the California law passed overwhelmingly, and none of the negatives came true. Other States then went out and adopted constitutional amendments, but they all did it differently. That's the problem. That's one of the reasons, Mr. Orenstein, I don't think giving money to a State and saying come up with a basic uniform floor is going to work. I don't know any issue where that has actually worked, where every State has done the same kind of thing. I worked in a prison for 5 years, so I know a little bit about what prison life is like. I don't see how the amendment creates a problem for any prison. I want to quickly read the limited rights that we're giving an individual: ``A victim of a violent crime shall have the right to reasonable and timely notice of any public proceeding involving the crime, and of any release or escape of the accused.'' That's not too difficult. The victim shall also have ``The rights not to be excluded from such public proceeding and reasonably to be heard at public release, plea, sentencing, reprieve, and pardon proceedings; and the right to adjudicative decisions that duly consider the victim's safety, interest in avoiding unreasonable delay, and just and timely claims to restitution from the offender. Then it goes on right then and there and says, ``These rights shall not be restricted except when and to the degree dictated by a substantial interest in public safety or the administration of criminal justice, or by compelling necessity.'' So essentially what we're trying to do is say, for example, that, if you're attacked by somebody, and you testify against them, and they do jail time or prison time, that you have a basic constitutional right to know when they're released so that you can protect yourself. I think most Americans would agree with that, and also that, if you are a crime victim, you have a basic right to know when a trial is going to take place, and the right not to be excluded if you can present yourself, and the right to make an impact statement, or the right to be present at any public proceeding that involves the perpetrator. I don't think those are unreasonable rights. I don't think they'll disturb defendants' rights or sensitive criminal proceedings. I sat on a term-setting and paroling authority. That's how I was in prison. We set sentences under California's indeterminate sentence law. We granted paroles. Those hearings were not public. I don't know whether they are today, but not at the time, so they wouldn't have been affected. The reason you saw the Simpson family and the Goldman family in court was because of the 1982 California constitutional amendment. I have been deeply perplexed as to why people really feel this will influence the administration of criminal justice. I think deep down I know. I think there are defense attorneys that don't want a paralyzed victim in the courtroom, that don't want grieving small children in the courtroom. But you know what? As you sow, so shall you reap. I think you do not see a defendant the way he or she was when he or she committed the crime. They're all cleaned up, all spruced up, all shaven, many times wearing a suit and tie. So if you're going to look at the fair administration of criminal justice--and I spent a lot of my time in this arena-- you need to be fair to both sides. I think providing these limited rights to a victim really equalizes the scale of justice. I have a little brochure that I hand out to people. It's got a scale of justice. On one side are all the rights granted by the Constitution to the accused, and on the other, there is nothing for the victim. So now amendments have been adopted in 33 States. And in every state campaign, people have alleged the same problems. I wanted to ask you, Mr. Twist, some opponents have claimed that this amendment is going to cause staggering costs. Now, you helped draft the amendment in Arizona, and I think you were instrumental in getting it passed. What kinds of costs has Arizona encountered in implementing the amendment? Mr. Twist. Senator, the costs are minimal. If you think through the rights that you just enumerated, the only right that has any sort of cost attached to it is the right to receive notice. There is a cost associated with providing of the notice. I would resort back to the testimony of county attorney Richard Romley, who several years ago submitted his statement to the record in hearings on this amendment, and county attorney Barbara LaWall, who testified before the Committee, that the costs to their offices in providing notice have been minimal. It's basically phone calls and letters. And that was several years ago. Now the technology has grown, and the capacity to provide notice through computerized systems that make it easier for victims to access, either on-line or over telephone lines, that require fewer people to actually be providing the notice. There's the bind system that was first established in Tennessee that's now spread around the country, a computerized system, a telephone-based system, for providing notice of hearings. But that's it. When you think about the other things, the right to not be excluded from the courtroom does not have a cost. The right to be heard at various proceedings that are already scheduled, and already held in open court, does not have a cost with it. With all due respect to Senator Leahy's earlier comment, this isn't about the money. This is about Mr. Lynn's right to offer his opinion to a proceeding that is already being held, his opinion that, in his case, he wanted life imprisonment and not the death penalty. Or in Mrs. Campbell's case, to say I just want to have a right to sit in the courtroom as the defendant's family has a right to sit in the courtroom. There's no cost associated with that. So it's been minimal, Senator. Senator Feinstein. Now, similar rights already exist in 33 States, some for as long as 20 years. Can anyone on the panel provide any evidence that the abuses that have been mentioned have occurred in these States? Yes, ma'am. Mrs. Campbell. I've been dying to say a little bit more. First of all, I would like to thank our Orange County Congressman for being here to support me, Ed Royce. Thank you, Ed. Yeah, I can give you a lot of instances. It seems like my profession has been to stay in the courtroom. When you talk about staggering costs, to keep me in a courtroom for 21 straight years is a staggering cost, not only emotionally to my family, but every time we go into the courtroom and t there's another delay, that's a huge cost. That's happening all across the country continually. I would like to give everybody here-- Senator Feinstein. But that's not because of any constitutional amendment. To be fair, what I'm saying is-- you're not really responding to my question. Mrs. Campbell. Okay. Let me give you the direct question. A couple of months ago our district attorney came up to me and told me that I was going to be excluded in the courtroom for the coming trial. I explained to him that I was not going to be excluded, so there may be a little--I asked him, I said are you going to make me a witness, and he said no. Senator Feinstein. Under California law, you have the right to be there. Mrs. Campbell. Of course, I do. But-- Senator Feinstein. They cannot keep you out. Mrs. Campbell. That was just a few months ago. Senator Feinstein. My question was a little different. Mrs. Campbell. I'm sorry. Senator Feinstein. The objection to our proposed constitutional amendment has always been that there would be certain abuses, either abuses that disadvantage the defendant, that would cost the State, That would prevent the prosecutor from giving timely notice, these kinds of things. And yet, there is no evidence of these abuses having surfaced in any of the States. Instead, the abuse has been in not carrying it out, not carrying out a State constitutional amendment for one reason or another. What I would like to ask everybody is whether you have any indication where the constitutional amendment of a State has been abused or has cost the State substantial additional funds. I would certainly like to have that evidence. I see Senator Feingold is here and I will yield you some time. Senator Feingold. Thank you very much for holding this hearing. It's an outstanding hearing and I have a lot of other things going on today, like other Senators, but I feel this is so important that this is the third time I have come back. I wish I could have heard all the testimony. I want Mr. Lynn to know that, although we have some disagreements about the merits of this, it was some of the most powerful testimony I have ever heard at a hearing. So I thank everyone for being here. This is a very, very tough subject that has to be addressed seriously, and I think you've done a wonderful job today of helping this issue come forward. Let me ask some questions. Mr. Orenstein, as someone who has prosecuted some of the most difficult cases, like the Oklahoma bombing and organized crime, can you discuss how this proposed amendment would affect a prosecutor's ability to make the necessary and independent decisions that are in the best interest of a prosecution? As an example, what are the possible ramifications of this amendment when there are multiple crime victims for a particular incident, who each have competing interests and objectives, like wanting to watch and possibly testify at a trial? Mr. Orenstein. Well, again, the multiple victim cases are particularly difficult and they particularly call for flexibility in the system. Some of these problems are problems of drafting and the inability to predict how courts are going to interpret certain words, which is why we should proceed very carefully before enshrining certain words in the Constitution, because we don't know how they will play out. In the mass victim case, it is impractical for everyone to be in the courtroom. You can adapt to that with closed-circuit TV. It's impractical for everyone who wants to be heard to speak at a given hearing. Now, my experience is that victims in the Oklahoma City case were more than willing to accommodate the practical needs of situations like that, as long as they're kept in the loop, as long as they're consulted. There are two problems. One is where you have one or two holdouts who just don't want to give up their rights, and a judge would say look, it's reasonable to have limitations here. We can't have everybody speak. If the rights belong to the individual and can't be denied but only restricted, well, you can't keep that individual from speaking. So again, there could be problems with--it's a drafting issue. The other problem is where the victim doesn't want to be reasonable. This is somebody who's in prison, who has been assaulted by another prisoner and wants to create problems for the court system. Again, you need to have the right kind of flexibility. My concern is very much down in the weeds of how the Constitution would play out in that situation. Senator Feingold. You're getting at this, obviously, but is this a problem that demands a constitutional amendment, or in many cases isn't this really an issue of providing training and resources to prosecutors' offices to ensure that prosecutors will pick up the phone and do what's asked of them, like notifying victims of court dates, considering issues involving victims' safety, allowing them to submit victim impact statements at sentencing hearings, informing victims of release dates for offenders? Mr. Orenstein. Very often it isn't. One thing that's really troubling for me as a former prosecutor, in hearing some of the awful stories that I've heard at this hearing and at others on this issue, is needless slights to victims and-- Senator Feingold. Needless--what did you say? Mr. Orenstein. Needless slights to victims, needless harms to them, and not only needless, but contrary to the laws of their State. This is a problem of changing the culture. Neither a statute nor constitutional amendment will change somebody's heart or change a culture. We need experience, we need training. I don't think a constitutional amendment will be more or less effective in solving the kinds of problems of the prosecutor who heartlessly says we don't need to consult the victim, we don't need to tell you, you just won't understand. That should never be the case. Senator Feingold. Let me ask Miss Perry to sort of continue this. I want to underscore a point that was illustrated by the testimony we've heard, that there is not a single victim's voice in the question of a constitutional amendment. Some do support statutory relief, while others support a constitutional amendment. Whether we enact a constitutional amendment or a statute, in the end prosecutors and judges must be willing to and have the resources and training to enforce the law for victims' rights to even stand a chance of being effective. I would ask you, Mrs. Perry, what steps do you think we should be considering in Congress to ensure that victims have the services and access to the criminal justice system that they need? Mrs. Perry. Someone asked earlier about the cost, and as I see it, the victim's right--If the victims' rights amendment does pass, it still does not meet the needs that I feel our family benefited from, and that these other victims' families have not experienced. That is the emotional and financial support that States or the Federal Government should make available to the victims. It increases their pain when they run out of money, just to pay to go back and forth to the various trials or hearings. It increases their pain if the person who is the victim and leaves the family is the breadwinner and they no longer have an income, they no longer have health insurance. You in Congress I would hope someday you really face the fact that we have 41 million people without health insurance in this country. Senator Feingold. Amen on that. Mrs. Perry. This gets exacerbated every time someone is murdered and that person is responsible for a family's health and maintenance. I think these things would be of great assistance to families who are suffering after they have been assaulted by a person who is now accused and in court. Then they would have the resources to be able to keep up with what's going on with the victims' case in court, as long as the local people follow what's already on the books. So I would really encourage that that would be of great help. We benefitted from it, and these victims here have not benefitted from it, and they've had to find money out of their own pockets. And our benefits are not from what Congress did, because I haven't gotten around to victims' compensation, which would just cause a lot of dissention. I am part of the Twin Tower Fund, representing police officer families and firefighter families, and with all due respect, what you did under a lot of pressure during a very difficult time in our history, was set up a very complicated victims' compensation fund, where certain victims are worth millions of dollars and other victims are worth $250,000 or $100,000. It is very unequal and has caused a lot of bitter feelings, especially among the uniformed personnel since most of those officers were earning relatively modest incomes compared to employees on the top floors of the World Trade Center who were earning $250,000 to $500,000 a year. Therefore, they were more valuable than my son. You know, you get the picture. There's a lot of problems there. If you could spend the time, rather than 7 years debating on how you can get the exact wording that lawyers understand for a victims' rights amendment, which even seems the lawyers don't always understand and has a lot of loopholes where you can waive rights here and enforce them there, just let's help everybody. Let's help these victims, give them the tools to put their lives back together, and you know, see if you can encourage the States to do what has to be done. In the case of Federal crimes, then the Federal Government should help. I don't know if that--I can't write the law for you. Senator Feingold. I thank you. Madam Chair, it is good to see you as chair again. [Laughter.] I take it my time has elapsed. Senator Feinstein. I think so. I would like to thank everybody for attending, regardless of what side of this issue you are on. It is clearly something that has caught national attention and people feel strongly about. The testimony was compelling, it was cogent, it was forthright, and on behalf of Senator Kyl, I thank everybody. This hearing is adjourned. 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