{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-21-21-142a-8","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 21, § 21-142A-8","heading":"Presentation and use of victim impact statement at","body":"sentencing and parole proceedings.\n\nA. Each victim, or members of the immediate family of each\n\nvictim or person designated by the victim or by family members of\n\nthe victim, may present a written victim impact statement, which may\n\ninclude religious invocations or references, or may appear\n\npersonally at the sentence proceeding and present the statements\n\norally. Provided, however, if a victim or any member of the\n\nimmediate family or person designated by the victim or by family\n\nmembers of a victim wishes to appear personally, the person shall\n\nhave the absolute right to do so. Any victim or any member of the\n\nimmediate family or person designated by the victim or by family\n\nmembers of a victim who appears personally at the formal sentence\n\nproceeding shall not be cross-examined by opposing counsel;\n\nprovided, however, such cross-examination shall not be prohibited in\n\na proceeding before a jury or a judge acting as a finder of fact. A\n\nwritten victim impact statement introduced at a formal sentence\n\nproceeding shall not be amended by any person other than the author,\n\nnor shall the statement be excluded in whole or in part from the\n\ncourt record. The court shall allow the victim impact statement to\n\nbe read into the record.\n\nB. If a presentence investigation report is prepared, the\n\nperson preparing the report shall consult with each victim or\n\nmembers of the immediate family or a designee of members of the\n\nimmediate family if the victim is deceased, incapacitated or\n\nincompetent, and include any victim impact statements in the\n\npresentence investigation report. If the individual to be consulted\n\ncannot be located or declines to cooperate, a notation to that\n\neffect shall be included.\n\nC. The judge shall make available to the parties copies of any\n\nvictim impact statements.\n\nD. In any case which is plea bargained, victim impact\n\nstatements shall be presented at the time of sentencing or attached\n\nto the district attorney narrative report. In determining the\n\nappropriate sentence, the court shall consider among other factors\n\nany victim impact statements if submitted to the jury, or the judge\n\nin the event a jury was waived.\n\nE. The Department of Corrections and the Pardon and Parole\n\nBoard, in deciding whether to release an individual on parole, shall\n\nconsider any victim impact statements submitted to the jury, or the\n\njudge in the event a jury was waived.","path":["OK Code","Title 21"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os21.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"7746dcdeb92a623d90f110deba0a35dd8f672bf465fc015129a0287628ae25dd","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-21-21-142a-7","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-21-21-142a-9"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}