Courts here are to hear about the impact a crime has on victims and their families.
Justice Minister David Ford has announced changes to help victims inform courts about a crime’s impact, in advance of a convicted offender being sentenced.
Legislation to be introduced that will provide a victim, bereaved family member or family representative with the statutory entitlement to make a written victim personal statement.
According to Mr Ford, this will ensure the views of victims would be heard by those making sentencing decisions.
David Ford said: “Victims’ views on the impact of a crime can now be more easily made known to the court.
“When a victim is told of the decision to prosecute someone for a crime, they will automatically get information on how they can tell the court in writing about how the crime has affected them.
“They will also be given support to make their statement by trained staff.”
Mr Ford concluded: “This is a further step in the Department’s work to improve the way in which victims and witnesses are treated by the Justice System.”
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