The criminal justice system remains mysterious and unwelcoming to most victims. Release on licence from prison Only two research studies of victim participation in this area could be located. One, in the USA, found that release was less likely in cases in which impact statements were made. The other, in England, concerned life sentence prisoners. Whereas in the USA victims can offer opinions on release, in England opinions should only be offered about the conditions which would be placed on release if this were allowed.
Many victims participate enthusiastically.
Again, there is the risk of unrealistically raising expectations. Conclusion Victim participation schemes have been introduced in a patchy way both within particular jurisdictions and across the different jurisdictions reviewed. Often their objectives are unclear, and they rarely specify what weight should be given to the information or views which they elicit. This is reflected in the limited success of most schemes. Those that do tend to be more successful than those that do not.