The influence of victim impact statements and offender character on sentencing and parole decisions

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dc.contributor.advisor Stinson, Veronica
dc.coverage.spatial Canada
dc.creator Tirkalas, Kimberley Joanne
dc.date.accessioned 2024-10-21T12:33:18Z
dc.date.available 2024-10-21T12:33:18Z
dc.date.issued 2024-10-17
dc.identifier.uri https://library2.smu.ca/xmlui/handle/01/32050
dc.description 1 online resource (177 pages) : colour graphs
dc.description Includes abstract and appendices.
dc.description Includes bibliographical references (pages 87-103).
dc.description.abstract Victims can provide evidence at sentencing and parole hearings that describe the physical, emotional, and financial harm they have suffered due to the offence. Similarly, offenders can provide evidence of their good character or resources that support rehabilitation. This thesis aimed to examine the roles that evidence from victims and offenders have on judicial decision-making at sentencing and parole board outcomes. Study one analyzed 1992 Canadian sentencing decisions and found that victim impact statements and offender character evidence predict incarceration. The effect of victim impact statements was greater when offender evidence was absent than when it was present. Study two examined 55 Parole Board of Canada parole decisions to investigate victim statements and letters of support but found no relationship with parole outcomes. These results provide insight about which variables may influence decision makers in the justice system. Implications for offenders, crime victims, judges, and parole board members are discussed. en_CA
dc.description.provenance Submitted by Greg Hilliard (greg.hilliard@smu.ca) on 2024-10-21T12:33:17Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Tirkalas_Kimberley_MASTERS_2024.pdf: 1259959 bytes, checksum: 0fa9795832fbb1dcfa0e1a62e7800aba (MD5) en
dc.description.provenance Made available in DSpace on 2024-10-21T12:33:18Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Tirkalas_Kimberley_MASTERS_2024.pdf: 1259959 bytes, checksum: 0fa9795832fbb1dcfa0e1a62e7800aba (MD5) Previous issue date: 2024-10-17 en
dc.language.iso en en_CA
dc.publisher Halifax, N.S. : Saint Mary's University
dc.subject.lcsh Victims of crimes -- Legal status, laws, etc. -- Canada
dc.subject.lcsh Sentences (Criminal procedure) -- Canada
dc.subject.lcsh Criminals -- Canada
dc.subject.lcsh Judicial process -- Canada
dc.subject.lcsh Parole -- Canada
dc.subject.lcsh Victims of crimes -- Psychology -- Canada
dc.title The influence of victim impact statements and offender character on sentencing and parole decisions en_CA
dc.type Text en_CA
thesis.degree.name Master of Science in Applied Psychology
thesis.degree.level Masters
thesis.degree.discipline Psychology
thesis.degree.grantor Saint Mary's University (Halifax, N.S.)
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