Chris Christie Signs Law Aiding Crime Victims

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has signed a law that enhances the rights of crime victims.

The measure gives victims greater access to information about the prosecution of their cases and allows the families of murder victims to display photographs or buttons of the deceased in court.

The law also instructs prosecutors to consider victim impact statements when deciding whether to accept a plea or allow a defendant to enter pretrial intervention.

It expands a victims' rights amendment to the state constitution. It's named after former Assembly Republican leader Alex DeCroce, who helped get the original Crime Victim's Bill of Rights through the Legislature in 1991.

Christie, a former federal prosecutor, called DeCroce a mentor after signing the law in his office Tuesday afternoon.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)