Redefine "Crime Victim" to Protect Eyewitnesses and Co-Survivors of Violence

Petition Description

The justice system is broken when survivors of horrific violence are told by administrative officials that they are "not a victim of the case."

I survived a nightmare. I was physically and sexually assaulted, kidnapped, and held captive. I was forced to stand by helplessly and listen to the graphic, literal dismemberment and murder of my friend. Yet, because of narrow statutory definitions, a Victims' Advocacy Supervisor told me that I do not qualify as a legal victim of that case.

When a violent criminal subjects multiple people to terror, the trauma does not stop at the primary charge. Forcing a survivor to endure the agonizing sounds of their friend being cut up creates a lifelong psychological execution. Yet, under current laws, procedural loopholes and defense-driven delays push pretrials back ten times or more. Co-survivors are left stranded without a formal voice, without automatic rights to victim impact statements, and without systemic validation.

A person who survives a nightmare does not cease to be a victim just because an administrative checklist says so. This petition demands immediate legislative amendments to Victims' Rights Reform Laws.

We call on lawmakers to:

1. Expand the legal definition of a "Crime Victim" to automatically include anyone forced to witness or endure the immediate sensory trauma of an egregious felony or capital offense.

2. Grant co-survivors full, unalienable victim status in the primary offender's case, ensuring absolute right to speak at sentencing.

3. Cap unreasonable pretrial delays to prevent the ongoing re-traumatization of survivors.

Reform the system. Recognize our trauma. Ensure no survivor is ever told they don’t belong in the courtroom where their tormentor is judged.