Federal Civil Rights Q&A

AA criminal violation requires the use or threat of force. Other distinctions between criminal and civil cases brought by the Government are:

	CRIMINAL	CIVIL
Who is charged:	Accused person	Usually an organization
Standard of proof:	Beyond a resonable doubt	Preponderance of evidence
Fact Finder:	Jury	Judge
Victim:	Identified individuals	Individuals and/or representatives of a group or class
Remedy sought:	Prison, fine restitution, community service	Correct policies and practices, relief for individuals
Govt’s right to appeal:	Very limited	Yes

Criminal cases are investigated and prosecuted differently from civil cases. More and stronger evidence is needed to obtain a criminal conviction than to win a civil suit. Should the defendant be acquitted, the Government has no right of appeal. A federal criminal conviction also requires a unanimous decision by 12 jurors (or by a judge only if the defendant chooses not to have a jury). Civil cases are usually heard by a judge, but occasionally a jury will decide the case. Both criminal and civil cases can be resolved without a trial where both sides agree and with the concurrence of the judge; this is done by a plea agreement in a criminal case and by a consent decree in a civil suit. In criminal cases, judges must use the Federal Sentencing Guidelines in determining the defendant’s punishment, whereas judges in civil suits may or may not adopt remedies as recommended by the Government when it wins.

AIf no violence is involved, complaints should be submitted in writing to the Civil Rights Division, where it will be forwarded to the appropriate Section for review. The Division’s mailing address is:

Civil Rights Division
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, D.C. 20530

AIndividuals may report possible violations on their own or on behalf of others if they have sufficient first-hand information about the incident. The information provided should include names of the victim( s), any witnesses, and the perpetrators (if known), a description of the events, and whether any physical injuries or physical damage were incurred. Complaints in writing are preferred, but there may be circumstances when a telephone complaint is appropriate (especially if there is an immediate danger). The “blue pages” of your local telephone book should have the phone numbers and addresses for the agencies shown below.

Hate crimes:

• Local FBI field office or
• Local police department

Health care access interference:

• Local FBI field office [phone threats]
• Local ATF (Treasury) [bombing or arson]

Involuntary servitude or migrant worker exploitation:

• Local FBI field office or
• Trafficking in Persons and Worker Exploitation Task Force — 1-888-428-7581 (weekdays 9 AM – 5 PM EST) — [available in 100 languages during work hours and English, Spanish, Russian, and Mandarin after hours]

Housing interference:

• Local FBI field office and/or
• Local HUD office

Official misconduct:

• Local FBI field office

Religious interference or property damage:

• Local FBI field office

If you are unable to locate the appropriate office listed above, please send the complaint in writing directly to the Criminal Section at the following address:

U.S. Department of Justice
Civil Rights Division
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Criminal Section, PHB
Washington, D.C. 20530

AThere is NO FEE required to file a complaint.

ADuring the course of a federal criminal civil rights investigation, the victim may be eligible to receive compensation and other assistance provided through various local Government and private agencies. Each state has eligibility requirements for receiving compensation, usually requiring that the victim promptly report the incident and cooperate with the police and prosecutors. In general, victims may be compensated for medical and mental health treatment, funerals, lost wages, and crime scene clean-up.

These programs have been established in every state and receive federal grants from a fund consisting of fines paid by convicted defendants nationwide.

AIf a defendant is convicted as the result of a federal criminal civil rights prosecution, the Criminal Section will ask the court to order restitution to be paid to the victim where it is permitted by law and appropriate to the facts of the case.

AThe United States Government cannot represent a victim in a civil suit arising out of a criminal civil rights violation. Victims may contact a private attorney to pursue a civil action even if there has been a federal prosecution for the same incident.

AOfficial misconduct and slavery cases (such as police beatings and migrant worker exploitation) do NOT require that the law enforcement officer or exploiter have acted out of hatred for the victim because of the victim’s race, national origin, color, or religion. However, there are several laws that do require that the unlawful acts be based upon such a discriminatory motivation. These include housing and religious interference or acts intended to prevent an individual from enjoying certain federal rights (voting, employment, use of public facilities or access to health care [gender]).

“Color of law” is a legal term used in official misconduct cases. It means that the law enforcement officer acted while abusing the authority given to him or her by reason of his or her employment as a public official.