Spring Clinic Class Makes a Difference for Victims
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Law students provided vital technical assistance in real cases while practicing real-world legal research and writing skills in the spring 2010 Crime Victim Litigation Clinic. Some of the highlights of their work include:
Leslie Baze prepared a legal memorandum on whether, based on Idaho’s victims’ legal rights to read the PSR and to protection, Idaho courts should allow crime victims to read a defendant’s domestic violence evaluation which was contained in the presentence report (PSR).
Alvin Morgan prepared a legal memorandum at the request of the United States Attorney’s Office in the District of Arizona addressing the various issues raised when a child-victim requests closure of a courtroom during a victim impact statement at an offender’s sentencing hearing.
David Susens helped NCVLI prepare an amicus curiae brief filed in the Alaska Supreme Court arguing that a crime victim’s state constitutional right to fairness is violated by application of the abatement ab initio doctrine in cases where a petitioner dies during post-conviction proceedings.
Brendan O’Hanlon began and is completing over the summer a comprehensive chart analyzing the breadth of compensable losses under the fifty states’ restitution statutes and case law. Brendan co-presented with former federal judge Paul Cassell on this issue at NCVLI’s Crime Victim Law Conference in June.
Shara Jones conducted research on what protections are available for child-witnesses in Maine when they are compelled, and afraid, to testify against their offenders.