- Do not minimize the facts of the case or the actions of the offender. As an offender or friend or family member of an offender, your role at court is to see that the offender accepts responsibility for himself/herself, and your letter should reflect your willingness to support, and hold accountable, the offender in the future.
- Do not rehash the facts of the case in your letter. That’s what Dan Turner did and it got him in a lot of trouble when he tried to put his own spin on the facts. Instead, focus on the positive attributes of the offender, particularly vis-à-vis other people. Talk about other instances where the offender has exhibited selfless behavior and gone out of his way to help others.
- Don’t make excuses for the offender. In Dan Turner’s case, he placed blame for his son’s horrific actions on a culture of drunkenness on campus. That’s making excuses for the offender, and will not be helpful. It also casts you as an enabler. If the judge sees the offender as surrounded by enablers, he/she will think it less likely that the offender can be rehabilitate, and that will be reflected in a harsher sentence.