Professor Edna Erez and I have a new article supporting victim impact statements. It is entitled "How Victim Impact Statements Promote Justice: Evidence from the Content of Statements Delivered in Larry Nasar's Sentencing." We will be presenting it at Marquette Law School later today.
In brief, we examine the 168 victim impact statements (VISs) presented at the sentencing of Larry Nassar for sex abuse. The article culls insights about what crime victims include in their VISs through quantitative and qualitative analysis of the statements presented. We conclude that content analysis of the 168 statements provides strong support for the use of VIS in criminal cases.
Here's the introduction:
