Marsy's Law has improved the rights of crime victims

We will soon be approaching the fifth anniversary of Wisconsin's adoption of Marsy's Law.

As one who was involved in the enactment of Wisconsin's first-in-the-nation crime victims' bill of rights in 1980 and Wisconsin's original 1993 victims' rights constitutional amendment, I can confidently say that Marsy's Law made important improvements in the rights of crime victims in Wisconsin.

Indeed, we often called the 1980 statutory bill of rights "gummy laws" because they had no teeth. The 1993 state amendment called for the Legislature to provide remedies for violations of victims' rights, which resulted in Wisconsin's Crime Victims Rights Board, which enforces victims' rights.

Under Marsy's Law, victims' rights were further extended, and the effectiveness of victims' rights was enhanced by affording victims the ability to go into court to enforce their rights and to seek a remedy for violations of those important rights. No longer are victims' rights in Wisconsin merely "gummy laws." They are now substantial and meaningful.