Your Voice Matters: Submitting a Victim Impact Statement
A Victim Impact Statement (VIS) serves three important purposes:
- Informs you of your rights as a victim of a crime.
- Gives you the opportunity to share how the crime has affected you and your family.
- Collects your contact information so that we can keep you updated on the case — including court dates, probation, parole, and offender release or discharge.
By submitting a VIS, you provide a unique and powerful perspective that no one else can offer. Including a VIS in the prosecutor’s file ensures that key decision-makers in the criminal justice system hear directly from those most impacted by the crime: survivors, their guardians, and close relatives of deceased victim.
What You Need to Know After Charges Are Filed
After a defendant has been formally charged, a VIS will be sent to you, the victim, parent or guardian of the victim or close relative of a deceased victim, by a Victim Assistance Coordinator (VAC) in our office. After completing the VIS, you should return it to the VAC, who will then submit the VIS to the prosecutor.
Some cases go to trial but others are resolved through a plea agreement (where the defendant agrees to plead guilty in exchange for a lighter sentence or other terms). If you have submitted a VIS, our prosecutors must consider your VIS before entering into a plea agreement. The prosecutor may also use information from your VIS to determine how much restitution (money paid to the victim) to request as part of a sentence.
Prior to the imposition of a sentence in a trial or prior to accepting a plea agreement, the judge must ask if a VIS has been submitted. If submitted, your VIS must be considered before imposing a sentence in a trial. Your VIS will become part of the prosecutor’s file. If approved by the court, the VIS, excluding the Confidential Victim Contact Information page, may be seen by the defendant and defense attorney (who may then introduce evidence or testimony in regard to its accuracy).
If you need help filling out the VIS, please ask a VAC for assistance.
What Happens After a Conviction
After the defendant is convicted, your Victim Impact Statement continues to play an important role in how the justice system manages supervision, incarceration, parole, and clemency decisions.
If the defendant is placed on probation, the Community Supervision Officer will use your VIS to manage victim notifications. This ensures you stay informed about the offender’s status and any conditions that may affect you.
If the defendant is sentenced to prison in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ), the court will attach your VIS to the offender’s commitment papers. Once received by TDCJ, your VIS is forwarded to the TDCJ Victim Services Division, where your preferences for notifications and contact restrictions are entered into the Integrated Victim Services System (IVSS). (Note: Minors cannot receive notifications directly from TDCJ. If the victim is a minor, the adult parent or guardian listed on the VIS will be added to IVSS.)
If and when the offender becomes eligible for parole, your completed VIS is reviewed by the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles (BPP) before they vote on whether to release the offender. You have the right to:
- Be informed about parole procedures
- Participate in the parole review process
- Provide input for the BPP to consider
- Be notified about parole decisions and the offender’s release
To receive these notifications, you can submit the full VIS or just the Confidential Victim Contact Information page to your Victim Assistance Coordinator (VAC). However, submitting only the contact page means the BPP won’t automatically receive details about the impact of the crime.
In cases involving clemency, your VIS is also considered by the BPP before they recommend clemency to the governor. This is especially important in death penalty cases, where your statement ensures your voice is heard during the lengthy appeals process.