| --- |
| title: "House Oversight: Estate Documents (Nov 12) (HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_014079)" |
| source: "House Oversight: Estate Documents (Nov 12)" |
| sourceUrl: "https://www.justice.gov/epstein" |
| date: "2026-01-01" |
| category: "House Oversight" |
| eftaNumber: "HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_014079" |
| ocrPages: 1 |
| ocrChars: 3150 |
| ocrElapsed: 0.0 |
| parseTier: "external-legacy" |
| engine: "engine undisclosed (ep-nov-12.greg.technology mirror)" |
| externalSource: "greg-ep-nov-12" |
| externalLicense: "not granted" |
| externalCredit: "ep-nov-12.greg.technology" |
| externalUrl: "https://ep-nov-12.greg.technology" |
| --- |
| |
| 100 |
| CASSELL ET AL. |
| [Vol. 104 |
| Other states also expressly extend rights before the filing of charges. |
| Colorado guarantees rights at "all critical stages of the criminal justice |
| process,I" which includes both the filing of charges and the decision to not |
| file charges. 235 In Missouri, victims have the right: |
| n charged cases or submitted cases where no charge decision has yet been made, t |
| e informed by the prosecuting attorney of the status of the case and of the availabilit |
| lof different forms of compensation and assistance] and of any final decision by the |
| prosecuting attorney not to file charges. 236 |
| In New Jersey, officials typically send a letter informing the victim "that the |
| case has been referred to the prosecutors' office and explains and offers the |
| services available from the country office of victim-witness advocacy.'237 |
| Subsequent letters to the victim ensure that the victim has notice of a series |
| of decisions long before indictment,238 |
| and the office actively solicits |
| information in order to "help the prosecutor's office decide whether or not |
| to prosecute a case."239 Along a similar vein, the Massachusetts legislature |
| included a provision that makes it clear that nothing should prevent a |
| prosecutor from providing victim services to persons injured by the |
| commission of a crime, even though a complaint or indictment has not yet |
| been issued. 240 |
| In addition to extending rights before the filing of charges, several |
| states require consultation before the prosecutor reaches a plea agreement |
| with the defendant. For example, Idaho's statute provides that a victim |
| must be given an opportunity "to communicate with the prosecution in |
| criminal or juvenile offenses, and be advised of any proposed plea |
| agreement by the prosecuting attorney prior to entering into a plea |
| agreement in criminal or juvenile offenses involving crimes of violence, sex |
| 235 COLO. CONST. art. II, § 16a; CoLo. REV. STAT. § 24-4.1-302(1) (2013). But see CoLo. |
| REV. STAT. § 24-4.1-302.5(1)(f) (2012) (limiting conferral right, in particular, to later stages |
| of a criminal proceeding). Despite these limitations on the conferral right, victims retain the |
| ability to be heard at any hearing involving a plea. See id. § 24-4.1-302.5. |
| 236 Mo. ANN. STAT. § 595.209(10) (West 2011). |
| 237 OFFICE OF VICTIM-WITNESS ADVOCACY, N.J. DEP'T OF LAW & PUB. SAFETY, A CRIME |
| VICTIM's GUIDE TO THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM 4 (2d ed. 1997); see also N.J. CONST. art. I, |
| $ 22. Compare 18 U.S.C. $ 3771 (2012). with N.J. STAT. ANN. 8 52:4B-36 (West 2009). In |
| addition to the rights similar to the federal legislation, New Jersey law provides for the right |
| "Ito be advised of case progress and final disposition and to confer with the prosecutor's |
| representative so that the victim may be kept adequately informed..." Id. § 52:4B-36(k). |
| 238 See OFFICE OF VICTIM-WITNESS ADVOCACY, supra note 237, at 4 (including pre-grand |
| jury remand, administrative dismissal, grand jury remand, grand jury dismissal, and |
| 239 Id. at 26 (describing victim involvement at grand jury and arraignment stages of the |
| 240 See Mass. ANN. LAws ch. 258B, § 2 (LexisNexis 2004). |
| HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_014079 |
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