Pursuant to the Georgia Crime Victims Bill of Rights, which was enacted through the Georgia Legislation in 1995, victims of certain crimes are afforded specific rights under the law. According to the Official Code of Georgia, Title 17, Chapter 17, victims of the following crimes receive benefits under the Crime Victims Bill of Rights:

In general, after the crime occurs and is reported, and upon initial contact with a victim, al law enforcement and court personnel must advise him or her of the following:

That it is possible that the accused may be released from custody prior to trial;

That he or she has certain rights during various stages of the criminal justice system;

That additional information about these stages can be obtained by contacting the pertinent state and/or local agency involved, or by contacting the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council at 404/559-4949 or 404/559-4177 (TDD);

That he or she may have available to them monetary compensation for certain out-of-pocket losses incurred as a result of their victimization from the State’s Crime Victims Emergency Fund (Crime Victims Compensation) which is administered by the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council;

That he or he may have available to them community based victim service programs and that more information may be obtained by contacting the Governor’s Victim Assistance Helpline at 1-800-992-6745;

and that he or she must meet any applicable aforementioned obligations, ie, providing a current telephone number and address in order to be contacted.

Victims of crimes further have the following rights:

to be notified of each stage in the judicial process to include pretrial hearings, bond, arraignment, motions hearings, pleas of guilty, trial, sentencing and appeals;

to be notified of the arrest, release, possibility of release, or escape of the accused or any change in custodial status;

to give opinions regarding release from custody or bond issues;

to a private waiting area during court proceedings;

to offer input on plea negotiations or sentence hearings or conditions;

to protection from intimidation and harm;

to receive compensation and/or restitution when eligible;

NOTE: Further details regarding the Georgia Crime Victims Bill of Rights can be found in Title 17 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated.    BACK