The effects of victim impact statements on sentencing decisions: A test in an urban setting

Abstract

Many reforms have been initiated in an effort to assure victims participation in the justice process. Although these reforms appear to represent great progress, it remains unclear to what extent victims actually have benefited. The present study examines one widely heralded reform measure—victim impact statements—and seeks to determine whether they have resulted in sentences more congruent with the harm done to victims and/or in sentences generally harsher on convicted defendants. These questions were examined in a field test implemented in Bronx County, NY. The study concludes that impact statements neither increased officials' consideration of harm to victims nor resulted in generally harsher sentencing decisions.

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