Thursday, March 28, 2024

A voice in court – community impact statements introduced in BC

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When an individual has suffered as a victim of crime, they can submit a statement to the court, which is weighed into consideration at the time of sentencing a convicted offender. In support of the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights, the Province has now introduced a Community Impact Statement Program that will enable the courts to admit – and judges to weigh – statements about how a particular offence has impacted the community.

Like the victim impact statements, community impact statements will describe the emotional, physical and financial impacts of an offence on a community.

From Suzanne Anton, Attorney General and Minister of Justice, “Our criminal justice system takes the voice of individual victims of crime into account during sentencing. The Community Impact Statement Program takes that one step further by allowing communities and groups within communities to have their say. This gives judges one more important perspective to keep in the balance when determining an appropriate sentence.”

Under the new program, a community representative may prepare a statement on behalf of the people who live and work in the affected community.

For example statements can include:

  • Local or regional economic impacts.
  • The emotional toll on community members that resulted from hearing about and responding to the offence.
  • Details of how the offence has limited or curtailed community members’ access to a particular facility or service.

The court will take will then take the community impact statement into account during sentencing.

The Community impact statement form is available here.

For questions about completing the form call 1-844-660-5343, ask a victim service worker for assistance, or email VictimLink BC at VictimLinkBC@bc211.ca

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Jitka Zhttp://www.itkasanimages.com
Meeting people from all walks of life and sharing their stories is my passion!

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