Under Washington law, a reasonable effort must be made to ensure that victims, survivors of victims, and witnesses of crimes have various rights in criminal court and juvenile court proceedings. Some examples of the rights that should be afforded to victims, survivors of victims, and witnesses of crimes include:
Victims and survivors of victims have a right to be informed of the date, time, and place of the trial and sentencing hearing, and are allowed to present a statement personally or by representation, at the sentencing hearing for convictions for any case. The change removes a limitation that those rights are only for a felony case or case involving domestic violence.
The following additional rights are provided for victims, survivors of victims, and witnesses of crimes:
The state shall provide funding to the Office of Crime Victims Advocacy in an amount sufficient to support crime victim advocates and prosecutors in their work to ensure the rights granted to victims, survivors of victims, and witnesses of crimes are protected.