Effect of Victim Participation in Sentencing on Sentence Outcome

• NCJ Number: 125990
• Journal: Criminology Volume: 28 Issue: 3 Dated: (August 1990) Pages: 451-474
• Author(s): E Erez; P Tontodonato
• Date Published: 1990
• Length: 24 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Presented at the 1989 American Society of Criminology annual meeting in Reno, Nevada

Annotation

The role of victims in the criminal justice process has been a neglected area of research. In the past two decades, however, victims of crime have received increased attention, and recently this attention has centered on the involvement of victims in sentencing.

Abstract

This paper addresses the concern of critics of the involvement of victims in sentencing and assesses the impact of victim participation on sentence outcome using felony crimes in one midwestern county. Analysis reveals that filing a victim impact statement has some effect on sentence outcome (probation versus incarceration), although offense and offender characteristics are of primary importance. Victim requests for a particular sentence do not influence the choice of sentence. Legal considerations largely explain length of imprisonment, although several of the victim-related variables have explanatory power. The implications of these results for the debate concerning victim participation are discussed. 6 tables and 64 references. (Author abstract)