Victims Law Library

The article discusses the aims and functions of victim impact statements (VIS) in the Canadian sentencing process. ​ It classifies these aims into two main categories: instrumental and expressive. ​ The instrumental aims focus on providing information about the harm suffered by the victim to influence the sentence, while the expressive aims allow victims to communicate their emotions and the impact of the crime, potentially offering therapeutic benefits. ​The author argues that the VIS regime in Canada is unclear and inconsistent, with appellate court decisions showing conflicting interpretations of the VIS's role. ​Manikis proposes a multi-functional model that combines both instrumental and expressive functions to advance recognized sentencing objectives and principles in Canadian law. ​ This model would require clear guidelines and protective measures to ensure the reliability and relevance of VIS content while allowing victims to express their emotions and communicate with the court and offender. ​

The article analyzes how victims of serious crime perceive restorative justice provision and the importance of information in this process. The study includes interviews with 34 victims in Belgium and Canada, and focuses on their experiences with two approaches to restorative justice provision: protective and proactive. The protective approach involves individualized offers and lacks systematic information about restorative justice, often protecting victims from potential distress. Conversely, the proactive approach systematically provides victims with information about restorative justice, enabling them to make informed choices. The results indicate that victims of violent crime prefer to be proactively informed about restorative justice options, provided certain conditions are met, such as voluntary participation and restorative justice being complementary to criminal justice procedures. The study suggests that a more direct, outward-looking approach, combined with personalized information, is preferable to form letters.

Ce mémoire de maîtrise porte sur la victimisation secondaire des victimes d'actes criminels et propose un outil standardisé pour mesurer ce phénomène dans le système de justice pénale. Il a été mise en place l'Institutional Betrayal Questionnaire in the Criminal Justice System (IBQ-CJS), un questionnaire adapté et traduit en français à partir de l'Institutional Betrayal Questionnaire (IBQ) de Smith et Freyd. Cet instrument a été employé auprès de 26 victimes impliquées dans des poursuites judiciaires et dont la cause avait été ou était présentement entendue devant une Cour criminelle du Québec pour mesurer la victimisation secondaire. L'(IBQ-CJS) a été ensuite employée pour explorer les facteurs de risque et les conséquences potientiellement associées à la victimisation secondaire. Cependant, l'outil a montré ses failles lors des analyses bivariés. Dans cette étude, l'auteur, souligne les limites et les avantages de cet outil stantardisé et les implications qui en découle pour de futures recherches.

Le mémoire traite de l'impact des interactions entre les victimes de crimes et les policiers sur les symptômes de stress post-traumatique (ÉSPT). L'étude utilise l'Échelle modifiée des symptômes du trouble de stress post-traumatique (MPSS-SR) pour mesurer la fréquence et la sévérité des symptômes chez 188 victimes. ​Les résultats montrent que la qualité du traitement reçu par les policiers, notamment la justice interpersonnelle, a un effet thérapeutique significatif sur la diminution des symptômes de stress post-traumatique. ​ En revanche, la transmission d'informations n'a pas montré d'effet thérapeutique direct. ​L'auteure l'importance de la qualité des interactions avec les policiers pour le rétablissement psychologique des victimes et recommandent une application systématique des droits des victimes pour réduire la victimisation secondaire.

La violence sexuelle est un problème social majeur. La réponse à cette violence par les mécanismes de justice pour favoriser le rétablissement des victimes est essentielle. ​ Cependant, la justice pénale ne répond pas adéquatement aux besoins des victimes de violence sexuelle, et la justice réparatrice est controversée et freinée dans ce domaine. Ce mémoire examine les expériences de justice pénale et de justice réparatrice des victimes de violence sexuelle pour mieux comprendre comment ces mécanismes peuvent contribuer à leur rétablissement. ​Des entrevues avec 18 adultes victimes de violence sexuelle ayant expérimenté la justice pénale et/ou la justice réparatrice, ainsi qu'avec 13 professionnels intervenant auprès des victimes en justice réparatrice, ont été analysées. ​​Des modifications au système pénal sont proposées pour combiner justice pénale et justice réparatrice, afin de favoriser l'accès à la justice, la réponse aux besoins, et le rétablissement des victimes de violence sexuelle. ​

The article discusses the Quebec Court of Appeal's decision in Cook, which confirms the importance of victim impact evidence as an aggravating factor in sentencing. This decision, if adopted in other jurisdictions, could significantly influence the evolution of victim impact statements (VIS). The authors argue that victim impact statements serve multiple purposes, including providing legally relevant information that helps courts more accurately determine the harm caused by an offense, thereby promoting proportionality in sentencing. They focus on the concept of accessory harm, which refers to harm inflicted on secondary victims, and argue that it should be taken into account when sentencing. The authors call for legislative reforms to clarify the scope and limits of collateral damage in sentencing, and suggest that provincial VIS forms provide clear guidelines to ensure consistency and avoir secondary victimization.

The article discusses the evolving role of victims in the Canadian criminal justice system, particularly at sentencing. It points out that victims have gained recognition and participation over the years, notably through the introduction of the Victim Impact Statement (VIS) in 1988 and the 2015 Canadian Charter of Victims' Rights. It then examines the expressive and instrumental functions of Victim Impact Statements, their impact on procedural justice, and the challenges associated with their use as evidence. These impact statements enable crime victims to describe the harm they have suffered, and are taken into account by judges at sentencing. The article also discusses the community impact statements introduced in 2015, and reviews clarifications of the concept of community by appeal courts regarding their role and content.

This study presents the conditions under which a sincere apology is possible in restorative justice. Arguing that apologies play a secondary role in restorative justice and are common in this process, the author believes that there is, however, a gap between victims' and offenders' perceptions of the sincerity of apologies. In his research, he identifies the key components of a sincere apology, such as acknowledging the harm done and taking responsibility, as well as the factors promoting and inhibiting this sincerity in restorative justice. He concludes by stressing the importance of future qualitative researche to better understand the relationship between restorative justice and sincere apologies.

The study presents a systematic quantitative litterature and critical review of victim participation in criminal justice. The authors analyzed 58 empirical studies published between 2002 and 2021 to understand forms of victim participation, their advantages and disadvantages, and the quality of justice they deliver. The results show that the majority of studies focus on domestic criminal justice systems, mainly in the USA, and on victims of violence. Victim participation is often loosely defined, but includes activities such as providing victim impact statements and attending trials. Studies have mainly used qualitative methods and have often examined victim participation at the trial stage. The authors highlight the need for greater specificity in participation mechanisms and outcome measures, as well as the importance of extending research beyond common law systems. They propose an outline for organizing evidence and encouraging more precise future studies of victim participation.

This study examines victims' evaluations of apologies and forgiveness in the context of the Youth justice Committee of Canada's restorative justice programs involving young people. The study, based on 14 semi-structured interviews with victims who participated in 16 restorative justice programs, reveals that for an apology to be perceived as sincere, the young person must accept responsibility for the harm, express emotions showing recognition of the harm caused, and take steps to repair that harm. To this end, the author first examines the role and meaning of apologies in restorative justice. She then explains the correlation between apologies and forgiveness in this dynamic, before examining the factors that influence the likelihood of apologies and forgiveness, such as parental role, age and the seriousness of the offence.