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horizontal line break Chapter 3 Specific Justice Systems and Victims' Rights Section 2, Federal Justice Abstract Since the passage of the Victim and Witness Protection Act of 1982, there has been considerable emphasis placed on the implementation of victims' rights and provision of quality victim services at the federal level. The 1995 Attorney General Guidelines for Victim and Witness Assistance, as well as the passage of six major federal laws affecting victims, define the scope of victims' rights and services for victims of federal crimes. Efforts at the federal level to coordinate the delivery of services to victims have produced collaborative initiatives that improve victims' rights and services. Learning Objectives Upon completion of this section, students will understand the following concepts: * Major laws affecting federal victims of crime. * The 1995 Attorney General Guidelines for Victim and Witness Assistance. * The Office for Victims of Crime response to coordinate services and assistance to federal crime victims. * The availability and coordination of victims' rights and services at the federal level. * Significant federal initiatives that have strengthened victims' rights and services at the federal level. Statistical Overview * During 1998, U.S. Attorneys initiated investigations involving 115,692 suspects for possible violations of federal law. Almost a third (32%) of those investigated were suspected of a drug violation (BJS September 1999). * Between 1994 and 1998, investigations initiated by U.S. Attorneys have increased by 16.5%--from 99,251 to 115,692. Investigations for immigration violations increased from 5,526 to 14,114; investigations for drug offenses increased from 29,311 to 36,355 (Ibid.). * Criminal charges were filed against 78,172 defendants in U.S. district courts during 1998--a 25% increase since 1994 (Ibid.). * In 1998, 89.9% of defendants charged with felonies were convic

horizontal line break Chapter 3 Specific Justice Systems and Victims' Rights Section 2, Federal Justice Abstract Since the passage of the Victim and Witness Protection Act of 1982, there has been considerable emphasis placed on the implementation of victims' rights and provision of quality victim services at the federal level. The 1995 Attorney General Guidelines for Victim and Witness Assistance, as well as the passage of six major federal laws affecting victims, define the scope of victims' rights and services for victims of federal crimes. Efforts at the federal level to coordinate the delivery of services to victims have produced collaborative initiatives that improve victims' rights and services. Learning Objectives Upon completion of this section, students will understand the following concepts: * Major laws affecting federal victims of crime. * The 1995 Attorney General Guidelines for Victim and Witness Assistance. * The Office for Victims of Crime response to coordinate services and assistance to federal crime victims. * The availability and coordination of victims' rights and services at the federal level. * Significant federal initiatives that have strengthened victims' rights and services at the federal level. Statistical Overview * During 1998, U.S. Attorneys initiated investigations involving 115,692 suspects for possible violations of federal law. Almost a third (32%) of those investigated were suspected of a drug violation (BJS September 1999). * Between 1994 and 1998, investigations initiated by U.S. Attorneys have increased by 16.5%--from 99,251 to 115,692. Investigations for immigration violations increased from 5,526 to 14,114; investigations for drug offenses increased from 29,311 to 36,355 (Ibid.). * Criminal charges were filed against 78,172 defendants in U.S. district courts during 1998--a 25% increase since 1994 (Ibid.). * In 1998, 89.9% of defendants charged with felonies were con

The Court issued a per curiam opinion. Given the Pennsylvania Supreme Court's answer to the United States Supreme Court's certified question, retroactivity was no longer an issue. The Court held long ago that the Fourteenth Amendment's Due Process Clause requires a State to prove each element of a crime beyond a reasonable doubt before convicting a defendant of a crime. Here, failing to possess a permit was a basic element of the crime as it existed at the time of Fiore's conviction. The "parties agree that the Commonwealth presented no evidence whatsoever to prove that basic element." In fact, Pennsylvania conceded that Fiore had a permit. "The simple, inevitable conclusion is that Fiore's conviction fails to satisfy the Federal Constitution's demands."