When you are the victim of a crime, you can sometimes feel as if you don't have a voice. Completing a Victim Impact Statement allows you to tell the Judge how a crime has affected your life. The Judge, lawyers, and the accused, will read your statement if and when the accused is found guilty and before sentencing. You can find more information about Victim Impact Statements by talking to us - or by looking here.
Completing a Statement on Restitution allows you to ask the Judge to consider ordering the accused to repay you if you have lost any money because of a crime. The Judge may order this repayment to be part of the sentence that a person is given; and the person will have to repay you through the courts. Or the Judge could order a 'stand-alone' restitution order; which isn't part of the sentence.
To find out more about a Statement on Restitution, you can talk to us - or look here.
If you are a victim of a crime, a Victim Service Advocate can keep you informed of what is happening in the court process. We can help to explain the court process, inform you of your rights during that process, and can help to prepare you and answer your questions if you have to attend court to give testimony.
If you are asked to give testimony at a trial, you may have a lot of questions. We have developed a booklet that may help to answer some of these; please contact us to get one of these.
If you have received a subpoena to testify in court, you may be worried and have some questions. A Victim Services advocate can help to answer those questions and can prepare you for your appearance in court. The following are some of the things that we can provide.
We may be able to be with you with the Court House and provide support for you on the day of the trial.
Please contact us if you have any questions about court or would like us to accompany you to court to provide you with support.