Victim Personal Statements: A Review of Empirical Research

Roberts, Julian V.; Manikis, Marie

doi:10.2139/ssrn.3032138

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Victim Personal Statements: A Review of Empirical Research

Victim Personal Statements at Sentencing: A Review of the Empirical Research (London: Office of the Commissioner for Victims and Witnesses of England and Wales, 2011)

51 Pages Posted: 7 Sep 2017

See all articles by Julian V. Roberts

Julian V. Roberts

University of Oxford - Centre for Criminology

Marie Manikis

McGill University - Faculty of Law

Date Written: October 4, 2011

Abstract

The research we have reviewed has been generally favourable to the Victim Personal Statements (VPS) scheme. Although only a minority of victims submit a statement, of those who do, most of those who do appear to benefit from the experience, and express a desire to submit a statement in the future. At the same time, VPS do not seem to make sentencing harsher across the board, and their use is generally supported by legal professionals. Judges and magistrates in different jurisdictions report finding victim impact statements useful in determining sentence.

Keywords: Victim personal statements; victims; sentencing

Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation

Roberts, Julian V. and Manikis, Marie, Victim Personal Statements: A Review of Empirical Research (October 4, 2011). Victim Personal Statements at Sentencing: A Review of the Empirical Research (London: Office of the Commissioner for Victims and Witnesses of England and Wales, 2011), Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3032138 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3032138