How to write a victim impact statement

What a victim impact statement is

A victim impact statement tells the judge what a crime has done to the people it harmed. The U.S. Department of Justice describes it as a way to say, in your own words, how the crime affected you emotionally, physically and financially.

Statements are usually given after a guilty plea or verdict and before sentencing. Years later, the same person may be able to give a statement again to a parole board.

A statement can be written, spoken, or both. The Department of Justice says that combining a written statement with one spoken at the hearing can be especially strong.

The parts victim advocates suggest

Guides from prosecutors’ offices and state victim offices ask about much the same parts, though each sets them out in its own order. You answer only the parts that matter to you; Connecticut’s Office of the Victim Advocate tells people to “answer only the questions you feel are important to share.”

1. Who you are, and how you are connected to what happened.
2. If someone you love died, who they were.
3. How you have felt since the crime: fear, anger, sadness, numbness, trouble sleeping, trust in other people.
4. What the crime did to your body and health: injuries, treatment, and how long they have lasted or will last.
5. How your days, work and family have changed.
6. What the crime has cost you, described in words. The amounts usually go on a financial loss or restitution form, with your receipts; your victim advocate can tell you where yours goes.
7. Whether you feel safe, now or when the person who did this is released.
8. Anything else you want the judge to know.

How to write it, step by step

Writing your statement goes more easily in small steps, and you can take as many breaks as you need. A federal guide from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Alaska suggests imagining that the judge is sitting in front of you and writing what you would want to say to them.

1. Ask your victim advocate for the deadline, where to send your statement, and who will read it.
2. Write a rough first version, one part at a time, in whatever order is easiest.
3. Use specific examples: an ordinary day before the crime and an ordinary day now.
4. Write to the judge, and keep to what the crime changed rather than what happened at trial.
5. Read it through, take out anything you would not want the person who did this to read, and check that every line is true.
6. Sign and date it, keep a copy, and give it to your victim advocate or the prosecutor’s office.

Who reads it

The judge reads or hears your statement, and usually the defendant and their lawyer do too. The Department of Justice says written statements in federal cases are usually seen by the defendant and the defense lawyer, with the victim’s name typically removed. Virginia’s statewide form says the statement may be seen by the defendant. Rules differ from place to place, so ask your victim advocate what happens in your court.

Your statement may also become part of the court record. In Connecticut, for example, the sentencing statement goes into the defendant’s permanent file, where the parole board can see it.

Everything in your statement needs to be true. In Florida, statements are made under oath. In Texas, the prosecutor may give you the official state form to use, and you can copy your own words into it.

Your victim advocate and your deadline

Your victim advocate is the person at the prosecutor’s office whose job is to help crime victims and families. They can tell you the deadline, where to send your statement, whether you can read it aloud, and what your court allows.

Deadlines are set by your court or prosecutor’s office, so your advocate is the person to ask. Connecticut’s guide says a statement can take several days or weeks to write, so it helps to start early. One Maryland county office reminds people that the statement is not used until sentencing, so there is no need to finish it right away.

This site is not a law firm and does not give legal advice. If you want help putting your own words in order, you can write your statement here: you answer gentle questions in your own words, your answers stay on your device, and writing, seeing and printing your statement cost nothing.

Questions