cartoon: victim impact statement

Maybe it’s time you wrote yours:

Here are 5 steps to writing a victim impact statement. Some of you might find it helpful to go through this exercise. I want to be clear: There have been many situations when I could’ve written this. However, with the last church I left I hold no offense. Quell the rumors, you know.

So, here are five steps to writing a statement:

1. Write a short paragraph about the offense that has been committed against you.
2. Write a detailed paragraph about yourself, your personality and character, as well as what your hopes and dreams were at the time the offense was committed against you.
3. Write a paragraph about the impact the offense has had on you. The impact could be physical, emotional, financial, spiritual, or otherwise. It might be temporary or permanent. This paragraph should clearly show a contrast in you before and after the offense was committed.
4. Write a paragraph about how the offender has or has not paid for the offense. Has justice been served? Has the offender paid too highly for the offense against you? Or has the offender gotten off easy? Does the offender even comprehend the gravity of the offense against you, or that any offense has even been committed? What affect does this have on you?
5. Deliver the impact statement. Deliver it to the offender or to the foremost representative of the offender. You can read it or just send it. If this is not possible, then read it aloud as if you were reading it in court. Then file it under “missions accomplished”.

I find that it helps bring some closure to something that has negatively impacted us when we perform such exercises.

I’m indebted to a help site’s advice for writing a victim impact statement here.