What is a victim impact statement and what is it for?
Short answer
A victim impact statement is a document in which the victim tells the judge what effects the crime has had on them. It is presented at the sentencing stage and is one of the things the court has to take into account.
In detail
It does not come at the trial on guilt, but after it, when the court is deciding the sentence. It lets you describe the physical, psychological, financial and social effects of the crime.
It is not an argument about what sentence should be imposed: it is an account of the effects you have lived through. The judge takes it into account along with the other sentencing factors.
It is usually written with support from the prosecutor or from a worker at a CAVAC (crime victims assistance centre), who can explain what can and cannot go into it. A victim can also ask to read it aloud at the hearing.
It is a right, not an obligation. Choosing not to file one carries no negative consequence.
What to document
Keep a dated journal of the consequences from the time of the event: symptoms, medical or psychological appointments, days of work missed, expenses incurred, changes in your daily life. Keep invoices, receipts, medical notes and statements. A written statement made months later is far more accurate when it is built on notes taken at the time.
Put your facts in writing, free. Writing your version down early, keeping your documents dated and preparing your questions for a lawyer: the tool is there to document, never to advise.
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Official sources
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What this page is not
This is general legal information about the law of Quebec and Canada, dated and sourced. It is not legal advice, not a strategy, and not a prediction about the outcome of a case. In Quebec, only lawyers and notaries may give legal advice (Act respecting the Barreau du Québec, ss. 128 and 133). Laws and amounts change: the official source always prevails over us.