Reading Room Document
Availability of Rights Under the Crime Victims' Rights Act of 2004
The rights provided by the Crime Victims' Rights Act are guaranteed from the time that criminal proceedings are initiated (by complaint, information, or indictment) and cease to be available if all charges are dismissed either voluntarily or on the merits (or if the government declines to bring formal charges after the filing of a complaint). The OLC does not provide release dates for its opinions, so the release date listed is the date on which the opinion was authored. The original opinion is available at www.justice.gov/olc/file/2010-12-17-crime-victims/download.
The OLC's Opinions
Opinions published by the OLC, including those released in response to our FOIA lawsuit