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Abstract: 

The ability and willingness of victims to tell their stories is crucial to the criminal justice process. Not only do victims’ stories lend an urgency to legislative hearings and task forces on crime, (Frank J. Weed, “The Vilification of the Crime Problem,” 31-56 (1995), in Frank J. Weed, ed., Certainty of Justice: Reform in the Crime Victim Movement (1995)), they are vital to the successful prosecution of specific criminal offenders. Without the cooperation of victims, the justice system’s ability to control crime is extremely limited. This article is the first in a series of articles that will explore the role of victim testimony in criminal justice proceedings, tracing history to modern developmental trends.

Keywords: Morris v. Slappy; Booth v. Maryland; South Carolina v. Gathers; State v. Pervis; People v. McDonald; Payne v. Tennessee; Snyder v. Massachusetts;

Affiliations:  1: Managing Editor of CVR.