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Terms Used In Tennessee Code 40-38-208

  • Victim: means an individual who suffers direct or threatened physical, emotional or financial harm as the result of the commission of a crime or an immediate family member of a minor victim or a homicide victim. See Tennessee Code 40-38-203
  • Victim Impact Statement: A written or spoken statement by the victim or his or her representative about the physical, emotional, and financial impact of a crime on the victim. The statement is given to the court before sentencing.
  • Victim impact statement: means a statement providing information about the financial, emotional and physical effects of the crime on the victim and the victim's family and specific information about the victim, the circumstances surrounding the crime and the manner in which it was perpetrated. See Tennessee Code 40-38-203
  • Victim representative: means a spouse, parent, child, sibling or other relative of a deceased or incapacitated victim or of a victim who is under eighteen (18) years of age or a person who has had a close personal relationship with the victim and who is designated by the court to be a victim representative. See Tennessee Code 40-38-203

This part shall not be construed to require a victim or victim representative to submit a victim impact statement or to cooperate in the preparation of a victim impact statement.