Crime Victims Rights Amendment on Tuesday’s Ballot

Among the items Illinois voters will be asked to weigh in on at the polls Tuesday is approving the Crime Victims Bill of Rights, also known as Marsy's Law.

This amendment to the state's Constitution would add two components to an existing list of rights of a victim of violent crime: That victim safety be considered as part of release decisions and that victims' privacy be reinforced when it comes to personal records--like diaries.

Illinois Public Media's Hannah Meisel spoke with Jennifer Bishop-Jenkins, director of Marsy's Law for Illinois. In 1990, Bishop-Jenkins' sister and brother-in-law were murdered, along with her sister's unborn child. She says Marsy's Law will add protections for victims that exist in many other states.