Legislators told to make sure crime victims get restitution before criminal cases are erased

Concord Monitor                                                                                                                 May 21, 2019

The New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, whose advocates previously testified against the bill, put forward an amendment Tuesday that eliminates the provision at issue. The coalition’s amendment also incorporates a section of the state’s Victim Bill of Rights that allows for victim notification of the offender’s petition for annulment and a court hearing where the victim can be heard.
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“While criminal justice reform efforts are appropriate in some cases, it’s critical that victims’ rights aren’t trampled along the way,” said Amanda Grady Sexton, the coalition’s director of public affairs. “Victims of crime deserve to be made financially whole and should not be forced to bear the cost of their own victimization, especially when the convicted perpetrator is allowed to wash their hands of accountability.”

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