Opinion ID: 1965098
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Allowing the Victim to Address the Court

Text: Finally, the defendant argues that the trial justice erred in allowing the victim to address the court during the trial. Invoking G.L.1956 § 12-28-4.1(a), [1] he insists that a victim of crime may address the trial court before it accepts a negotiated plea and imposes sentence only if the victim asks to do so, but he contends the court has no authority to initiate such a communication from the victim. Here, though the victim did not ask permission to address the court, the court nonetheless solicited the victim's opinion on the proposed plea. Although § 12-28-4.1 affords a victim of crime the right to address the court before the acceptance of a plea agreement upon his or her request to do so, it does not bar the court from inquiring of the victim in the absence of such a request. Moreover, article I, section 23, of the Rhode Island Constitution provides that [b]efore sentencing, a victim shall have the right to address the court regarding the impact which the perpetrator's conduct has had upon the victim. This constitutional right is not conditioned upon the victim's first requesting the opportunity to address the court for this purpose. Hence, we deny the defendant's appeal and affirm the judgment of the conviction.