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Making a victim impact statement

If you have been the victim of a violent crime, you have the right to tell the court about how the crime has affected you. You can do this in one of three ways:

prosecutor’s submissions. The prosecutor tells the court about the harm that has been done to you.
sworn evidence. The prosecutor calls you as a witness at the sentence hearing and asks you about how the crime has affected you.
a victim impact statement.

A victim impact statement explains how a violent crime has harmed the victim. It is a written statement signed by the victim and presented to the court when the offender is being sentenced.

You can make a victim impact statement if you have suffered harm because:

a violent crime has been committed against you
a violent crime has been committed against a member of your immediate family
you are a dependant of someone who has had a violent crime committed against them
you went to the aid of a victim of violent crime.

Courts and tribunals

Making a victim impact statement

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