When someone is going to court and they intend to plead guilty to something, it is always a good idea to organise some supportive materials beforehand. Some supportive materials can include:
- Character references.
- Letters of apology.
- Psychological reports.
- Medical materials.
- Proof of rehabilitation, such as drug treatment, anger management, alcohol treatment etc.
Character references:
Character references can be very powerful in court. Character references are generally written by family and friends of the accused person and their main purpose is to highlight positive aspects of the accused person to the judge which can humanise them and show that they are not just a ‘criminal’.
Letters of apology:
A letter of apology is a letter usually written by the accused person to a victim of their offending. The letter should convey the accused person’s remorse and sorrow for having committed their offending.
Psychological reports:
Psychological reports can provide an independent assessment by a psychologist on why the accused person may have offended, and whether they are likely to re-offend in the future. This can give useful context as to why something may have happened, which can help to explain the offending.
Josh Smith Legal has worked closely with several of the most highly regarded and respected psychologists and counsellors in Victoria and we have reputation for briefing psychologists to an exceptionally high standard.
