67 articles
Son of Sam law
Son of Sam laws are statutes, first New York Executive Law § 632-a (1977), that escrow a criminal's income from works describing the crime for victims; struck down as content-based in Simon & Schuster v. Crime Victims Board (1991).
Stalking
Stalking: a pattern of repeated harassing or threatening conduct, including following, surveillance, unwanted contact, and GPS or spyware tracking, that causes fear or substantial emotional distress; affects about 1 in 5 US women and 1 in 10 men, criminalized in all 50 states.
Turn state's evidence
Turning state's evidence, also called turning King's or Queen's evidence, is when a defendant testifies against accomplices in exchange for reduced charges or a lighter sentence.
Unborn Victims of Violence Act
Unborn Victims of Violence Act of 2004, or Laci and Conner's Law (Pub. L. 108-212): US federal law, codified at 18 U.S.C. § 1841, making death or injury to a child in utero during listed federal violent crimes a separate offense, with abortion and medical-treatment exemptions.
Verbal abuse
Verbal abuse is language used to harm, demean, intimidate, or control another person, a form of psychological aggression in intimate relationships, families, and workplaces; prevalence estimates vary widely (18% to 92% for childhood verbal abuse) due to inconsistent definitions and measures.
Victim impact statement
Victim impact statement (VIS): a written or oral statement by a crime victim describing emotional, physical, and financial harm, considered at sentencing in US, Canadian, UK, and Australian courts; effect on sentences is empirically inconclusive.
Victimisation
Victimisation (victimization) is the experience of being harmed by crime and the study object of victimology. Covers victimology's postwar origins, victimization surveys and the hidden figure of crime, repeat victimization, and the victims' rights movement.