victim statements
Harmed parties' testimony
Victim statements, more commonly called victim impact statements, are written or spoken accounts presented during criminal sentencing by those harmed by a crime.
They describe physical, emotional, and financial effects the offense has had on victims and their families: The judge read three victim statements before pronouncing sentence.
Courts use them to inform sentencing decisions and give victims a voice in proceedings.
- impactForceful contact or consequence
- testimonySworn statement as evidence
- courtTrial venue or sports surface
- open courtJudicial proceedings accessible publicly
- day in courtChance to present one's case
trauma · survivor · grief · personal loss · justice · criminal justice · sentencing · sentencing hearing · hearing · pain · loss · painful memories · voice · judge · crime · suffering · closure · healing
- case evidencecase files, case notes, police reports, fingerprints, DNA samples
- court recordscourt documents, court transcripts, court records, court cases, court record
- legal documentscontract, affidavit, deed, will, subpoena
- legal recordscourt orders, court decisions, court filings, court rolls, court reports
- police recordspolice records, arrest report, police reports, incident report, arrest records
- testimoniestestimonies, survivor stories, eyewitness accounts, witness accounts, witness testimony
victim, victims, victimize, victimized, victimizing, victimization, victimhood, statement, statements