Talk:Victim impact statement

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

making some minor sanity changes and internationalised the article somewhat

Some of the original article is bizarre and misleading for UK/Australian law at least, and I'd be surprised if generally true for US - that the victim suggests sentence or punishment? I don't know about elsewhere, but in UK/Australian law that's crazy: the legion reasons can be summarised that (a) it's the Judge's job to decide sentence and (b) it's a misconception of the role of the VIS to go beyond informing the court to entering the court's decision making. Among other things, it would undermine the 'restorative' notion of VIS's by creating a false notion that victims are having a say in the sentence when they don't - the Judge solely determines.

That said, there's some programs, usually juvenile ones, where the victim and offender reconcile and agree on reparation etc.

also changed 'murder', because there's a great many crimes distinct from murder that result in a dead victim. dangerous driving, criminal negligence, etc.

[edit] Wikified

Wikified as part of the Wikification wikiproject! JubalHarshaw 17:40, 3 October 2006 (UTC)