Quote:
Originally Posted by dennis in se pa
What good do victim impact statements do in a court of law? If one person kills another, for example, how is it any better or worse if the victim had friends/relatives that are emotionally or otherwise impacted by the occurrence? To me it adds to the "theater" aspects of justice. If a victim has 20 people vs 1 person present a victim impact statement, does it matter? Should it? Is it meant to make those remaining feel better somehow? The facts are the facts. They should be pertinent to the case.
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I don't practise defence law, but I've wondered about the cost of valuable court time expended, as measured against the benefit of the catharsis for the victims.