Opinion ID: 1833474
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Unsigned Victim Impact Statement.

Text: In sentencing Grimes, the court considered a victim impact statement prepared by his former girlfriend, who was the victim of the crimes for which he was sentenced. The statement detailed the traumatic effect upon her as a result of these crimes and the defendant's similar acts against her in the past. The defendant claims that because the statement was not signed it could not properly be considered. The statute provides in relevant part: A victim may file a signed victim impact statement with the county attorney, and a filed impact statement shall be included in the presentence investigation report. If a presentence investigation report is not ordered by the court, a filed victim impact statement shall be provided to the court prior to sentencing. The court shall consider a filed victim impact statement in determining the appropriate sentence and in entering any order of restitution to the victim pursuant to chapter 910. Iowa Code § 910A.5. The defendant's factual predicate for his argument is questionable. The victim's name appears in the upper right-hand corner of the first page of the statement in the same unique half-printed/half-cursive style in which the remainder of the statement appears. It could thus be argued that the statement was signed, although not at the end of the statement. Further, the district court found that the statement was apparently signed by the victim, and two employees of the department of correctional services stated in their report that the victim had provided the statement. Even assuming that the statement was not actually signed, we believe this would not invalidate the sentencing proceeding because the statutory provision regarding signature is merely directory, not mandatory. To decide whether [a] statutory provision is mandatory or directory, we look to the purpose the legislature intended it to serve. If the duty imposed by the provision is essential to the main objective of the whole statute, the provision is mandatory, and failure to perform the duty will invalidate subsequent proceedings under the statute. But when the duty is not essential to the main statutory objective, the provision is directory, and failure to perform the duty under it will not affect the validity of subsequent proceedings unless prejudice is shown. State v. Blakley, 534 N.W.2d 645, 648 (Iowa 1995) (quoting Downing v. Iowa Dep't of Transp., 415 N.W.2d 625, 628 (Iowa 1987) (citations omitted)). The defendant argues that the main objective of the signature provision in the victim-statement statute is to guarantee the trustworthiness of the statement. The State responds that the purpose is to allow a victim to have input on sentencing and that it was motivated by the legislature's concern for the rights of victims. The purpose stated by the legislature for enacting chapter 910A appears to support the State's argument by emphasizing the fair and compassionate treatment of victims. The legislature stated: It is the purpose of this Act to assure the fair and compassionate treatment of victims and witnesses of crimes and to increase the effectiveness of the criminal justice system by affording to them certain basic rights and consideration, and by reaffirming the criminal justice system's fundamental responsibility to victims and witnesses to ensure their equitable and fair treatment, protect them from intimidation and further injury, assist them in overcoming emotional and economic hardships resulting from criminal acts, and to keep them informed of the status of their case. 1986 Iowa Acts ch. 1178, § 1. The wording of section 910A.5 does not indicate that signing is a mandatory requirement. The only reference to signature is in the first sentence where it is used in a merely descriptive sense: A victim may file a signed victim impact statement.... Despite the statute's reference to signature, the express requirements for a victim impact statement do not include a signature by the victim. The statute provides: The victim impact statement shall: 1. Identify the victim of the offense. 2. Itemize any economic loss suffered by the victim as a result of the offense. For purposes of this paragraph, a pecuniary damages statement prepared by a county attorney pursuant to section 910.3, may serve as the itemization of economic loss. 3. Identify any physical injury suffered by the victim as a result of the offense with detail as to its seriousness and permanence. 4. Describe any change in the victim's personal welfare or familial relationships as a result of the offense. 5. Describe any request for psychological services initiated by the victim or the victim's family as a result of the offense. 6. Contain any other information related to the impact of the offense upon the victim. Iowa Code § 910A.5. A requirement that the statement be signed by the victim is not included in this list of requirements. We agree with the State that the reference to signature in the statute is directory, not mandatory, and the issue becomes whether the defendant was prejudiced by the court's consideration of the impact statement. See Blakley, 534 N.W.2d at 648. Signed or unsigned it is unlikely that the victim impact statement would have played any substantial part in the trial court's decision on sentencing. The statement merely consisted of the victim's experiences with the defendant on the night of the crimes, her resulting fear of him, and the problems she had experienced in dealing with his lengthy history of violence against her. This was largely cumulative of the testimony by her at trial and the information contained in the presentence investigation report. We do not believe that under these circumstances there was a reasonable probability that the defendant was prejudiced by the court's consideration of the statement and therefore affirm on this issue. We affirm all the convictions, but vacate the sentence for first-degree burglary and remand for resentencing on that charge. CONVICTIONS AFFIRMED; SENTENCE FOR FIRST-DEGREE BURGLARY VACATED; REMANDED FOR RESENTENCING.