Boise (670 KBOI News) – Marsy’s Law for Idaho — a proposed crime victim’s rights constitutional amendment — is headed to the Idaho House of Representatives after passing the Senate Monday on a 25-9 vote. It’s also known as Senate Joint Resolution 1.
It’s billed as a way to ensure crime victims are notified before an offender is released on parole, has a hearing and so on, but opponents — like former District 11 Senate candidate Zach Brooks — say it clears the way for an abuse of due process.
“To have a victim, it takes a crime and a criminal,” said Brooks. “To have a criminal, you have to have a conviction. This (law) doesn’t just apply to post-conviction trial proceedings, this is applying to the entire criminal justice process.”
Senator Todd Lakey of Nampa, who sponsored SJR-1, tried to calm the concerns of gun owners, many of whom are concerned that Marsy’s Law could clear the way for so-called Red Flag laws. He said state and federal Constitutional rights would supersede Marsy’s Law.
