Victim impact statements - Do they have anything to do with justice?

THE final moments of the closing act in a long, detailed and tense trial, especially a murder trial, are usually charged with great tension and emotion.

One individual — the defendant — may or may not be jailed. Another individual, or group of individuals, may be very disappointed and believe that justice has not been done. That their relative — the dead victim — has been dealt another terrible, unjust blow.

Whether a courtroom, at that most volatile moment, is the right environment for an unfettered victim impact statement is highly questionable. Some victims, or the close family of murder victims, feel it is right that they should make a statement to the court describing the impact the crime has had on their lives.