Abstract
This article examines the role of victims in the criminal justice system, and how victims find justice through the sentencing process. It examines the role that providing a victim impact statement, receiving information about typical sentencing practices, and restorative or traditional sentencing play in how victims perceive justice in sentencing. Quantitative analyses were conducted analyzing the aforementioned variables and their relationship to participant perceptions of sentence effectiveness, anger, sentence harshness, and happiness, as well as their propensity to obedience. Qualitative analyses were conducted to better understand the reasoning behind victim perceptions and preferences in relation to restorative and traditional sentencing types. This article aims to contribute to the broader knowledge regarding victim satisfaction with sentencing, how victim involvement with the sentencing process can be improved, and how restorative justice can work to benefit both victims and offenders.
Recommended Citation
Handford, Melissa. 2024. "Making Sentencing Meaningful: How Victims Find Justice in the Sentencing Process." Bridges: An Undergraduate Journal of Contemporary Connections 7, (1). https://scholars.wlu.ca/bridges_contemporary_connections/vol7/iss1/1
Included in
Criminology and Criminal Justice Commons, Other Psychology Commons, Social Justice Commons