On November 3, 1992, Illinois voters approved the Crime Victim Rights Amendment (also known as "Amendment 1"), a legislatively referred constitutional amendment which added Article I, Section 8.1 to the Illinois Constitution of 1970.
[1][2] The amendment added Article I, Section 8.1 to the Illinois Constitution of 1970, which read: Section 8.1: Crime Victim's Rights: a) Crime victims, as defined by law, shall have the following rights as provided by law: b) The General Assembly may provide by law for the enforcement of this Section.
c) The General Assembly may provide for an assessment against convicted defendants to pay for crime victims' rights.
d) Nothing in this Section or in any law enacted under this Section shall be construed as creating a basis for vacating a conviction or a ground for appellate relief in any criminal case.
[3]In order to be ratified by Illinois voters, the amendment required either 60% support among those specifically voting on the amendment or 50% support among all ballots cast in the elections.