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Established in 2000, the National Crime Victim Law Institute (NCVLI) is committed to the enforcement and protection of victims' rights in the criminal justice system. It is the only organization of its kind in the United States.

As a non-profit research and educational organization, NCVLI can assist attorneys who provide direct legal services, file amicus briefs to advocate for victims, and conduct research and provide information on issues concerning victims' legal rights.

Over the last decade there has been a new interest in victims' rights, leading to a flood of legislation and state constitutional amendments. Historically, however, there has been little academic attention paid to this rapidly growing area of the law, and no academic institution has undertaken a focused effort to study and enhance the effectiveness of victim rights laws.

The legal education of law students, practitioners and judges is a critical need. NCVLI is helping to incorporate the topic of crime victim law into law school curriculum. Additionally, NCVLI is meeting the needs of practicing attorneys, judges, and advocates who work with victims in the field by providing information, research, and legal analysis about victim laws. NCVLI's Executive Director, Doug Beloof, has authored the casebook, Victims in Criminal Procedure, the first casebook to be published in this area of law.

NCVLI is also working to develop a library collection of victim rights materials to serve as a national resource. The law school’s library will be an archive for historical documents and will hold an extensive collection of victim material.

As a component of the information gathering process, the Institute is developing the National Crime Victim Law Database as an Internet site, which will be equally accessible to lawyers, scholars and grassroots activists. The database will contain information regarding statutes, cases and briefs concerning victims in criminal law and procedure in the United States and, eventually, around the world. The goal of this database is to provide free access to state and federal crime victim laws.

Through legal education, scholarship, information resources and legal advocacy, NCVLI actively promotes balance and fairness in the justice system.