A mixed-methods study of the role of the Victim Personal Statement (VPS) in sentencing decision-making in England and Wales.

The proposed study is a mixed-methods exploration of the role of the Victim Personal Statement (VPS) in sentencing decision-making in England and Wales. The effect of victim impact evidence (VIE) on sentencing practices is underexplored worldwide, and is almost entirely unexplored in this jurisdiction. However, the question of whether the VPS serves to help or to hinder the decision-maker in adhering to the principle that the severity of a sentence should be proportionate to the seriousness of the crime, to which the extent of the harm suffered by the victim is a relevant consideration, is important. This feeds into wider discourse concerning the potential threat posed by victims' rights to those of defendants. The findings of the study will enable policymakers to give informed consideration to the future of the VPS, leading to its development and/or the fine-tuning of its parameters. The mixed-methods approach will involve interviews with judges and magistrates, and both qualitative and quantitative analysis of court transcripts.