Should this amendment be shorter?

No. Each of the rights enumerated within CACR 22 is included for a very specific reason and is supported by decades of case law from around the country. The level of specificity within this amendment provides clarity and direction to the courts around how to make determinations about and enforce victims’ rights.

Aspirational language, such as “[a] victim of crime has the right to be treated with fairness and respect for the victim’s safety, dignity, and privacy” does not provide any guidance to the courts, and instead will certainly lead to years of litigation while courts decide what actual rights victims are afforded in those twenty-one words.

Marsy’s Law for NH provides 13 constitutional rights of crime while those accused and convicted are provided 27 rights within our constitution. The length of this amendment is not uncommon and it will not be the longest section in our constitution.

The rights provided in CACR 22 are clearly outlined and provide the courts with the direction needed to enforce those rights and balance the rights of defendants and those accused with the rights of victims, should they come into conflict with one another.