Assignment Details

The victim of a crime has the right to address the court prior to the imposition of a sentence. This is known as a victim impact statement and occurs after a finding or plea of guilty and prior to sentencing. Answer the following:

Do you think that victim impact statements influence a judge in the sentence he or she will impose? Why or why not?

If you were the victim of a crime, what would be the top 3 things you would want the judge to know about how the victimization impacted you?

Should victim impact statements be removed from the sentencing phase? Why or why not?

Are victim impact statements prejudicial against the defendant? If so, how does this affect the appellate process?