Victim Impact Statement

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The Impact of victims of crime have long been considered to be overlooked when it comes to the criminal justice system. It is common for victims of crime to feel powerless and without a voice in the criminal justice system. However, since 1980 Australian victims have had the chance to be heard through a document called a Victim Impact Statement, giving the victims a chance to tell the courts about the effect that the crime has burdened on them individually, physically and emotionally as well as their families and friends as a society.
According to the Australian Institute of Criminology (2016) “A Victim Impact Statement (VIS) is a statement about the impact that a crime has had on the victim, once an offender has been convicted and is to be …show more content…

It is important that they feel that the offender is being punished for the crime they have committed. There have been several arguments that victims input into cases may propel the different objectives of sentencing. Vengeance is improved when the degree of the harm caused to the victim is revealed so that the punishment distributed can be measured against the level of damage created. Victim contribution improves prevention since it increases prosecutorial effectiveness, which greatly improves the odds of the offender being found guilty. Victim cooperation may likewise advance recovery as the offender stands up to the truth of the harm caused to the victim. (Hoffman, …show more content…

Defence lawyers usually perceive increased victim contribution as obstructing the defence. Trepidations over postponements and extra costs for an already overburdened system if victims are permitted to participate are heavily expressed as concerns for the justice system. Some further contend that victim contributions would include almost no valuable or novel data which is not already accessible to the court. Others propose that the criminal law now considers the damage done to the victim in the meanings of crime and alleviating or exasperating situation. (Lens et.al,

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