Planning for Sentencing Hearing

As a defendant, the two key things you must prepare for a sentencing hearing are your allocution and reference/character letters.

Allocution is vital to an effective mitigation strategy. While it is uncommon, a defendant's allocution can indeed lead to a reduced sentence. Moreover, the opposite can also occur: failing to allocate or presenting a poorly articulated allocution may result in the judge handing down a longer prison sentence than originally intended before they took their seat on the bench that day.

Character reference letters are a critical tool to offer the judge a personalized view of your life, moving beyond the Government's narrative. We will work with you to strategically determine the optimal number of letters and identify the most impactful references. Our process includes interviewing these individuals to gather compelling stories and ensure the resulting letters effectively highlight your positive characteristics and community impact, while strictly avoiding common pitfalls, such as minimizing the offense.

Who joins you for the sentencing hearing is also relevant. While a Judge does not want to punish someone for not having anyone there to support them a showing of community support does display a positive message. An excessive showing, a demonstration that over does it can also be a great hindrance to the work you have been trying to do.