A group is looking to increase victim’s rights in South Dakota. Campaign organizers say the constitutional amendment Marsy’s Law received 53,000 signatures, almost double the amount required to get on the ballot. If the signatures are verified Marsy’s law will appear on the November 2016 ballot.
Marsy’s Law is a new constitutional amendment that seeks to increase rights for victims of crime. Jason Glodt is the State Director for the South Dakota Campaign.
“Right now, victims of crime in South Dakota have no constitutional rights and the limited statutory rights that they do have are not enforceable. This would change that by giving them constitutional rights which would be equal to criminal rights,” Glodt says.
Glodt says 33 states have constitutional amendments in place for crime victims’ rights. He these changes are important because they require the judicial system to inform and grant legal rights to victims.
“For justice to truly be served, the victim really has to have a role in the criminal process. They have to be heard. (If) victims are not notified or they’re not given the opportunity to voice their opinion in a hearing then they would have the ability to appeal that decision whether it’s a plea agreement or a sentencing and the court would then have to overturn that agreement or sentencing and give the victim the opportunity to be heard,” says Glodt.
Glodt says Marsy’s law would also expand the definition of a victim, but others disagree.