What is the Purpose of a Character Letter
Character letters serve as a powerful tool in the judicial system, allowing individuals to offer a glimpse into the personality of a defendant in a case. The primary purpose of such a letter is to provide the judge or jury with insight into the character of the accused, and how it stacks up against the charges brought against them. This could include personal opinions on the accused’s honesty, loyalty, integrity and other traits that may be essential for the presiding court to know about.
There are several ways a character letter can impact the court and its decision-making process. As mentioned above, it offers a perspective on the character of the defendant to the court. It also provides detailed information about the nature of the relationship between the letter writer and the accused, which can help the court understand the meaning of the letter better . Such a letter can also be used by the court as a basis for whether to grant or deny a plea bargain, as well as to determine an acceptable punishment for the defendant.
The decision to allow a character letter into evidence is at the discretion of the court, but it could be seen as prejudicial if it does not address the facts at issue in the case or if it appears to be biased. This is why it is so important for people issuing statements to have a keen understanding of the case in question.
Overall, character letters are typically written by people who have known the accused for a substantial period of time. They are intended to provide a full and complete picture of the defendant as a human being, not just as a criminal. A simple "that person could never commit this crime" will not generally carry much weight in a courtroom.
Essential Instructions to Include in a Character Letter
An effective character letter for court should succinctly address several critical aspects:
Relationship with defendant: The letter should include how the writer knows the defendant and the basis for their opinion. While it is understood that the person writing the letter likely knows the defendant well, it helps solidify the relationship by setting forth the background. The writer should also include any of the defendant’s positive contributions to the person’s life that stand out.
Length of time: A letter that sets forth how long the writer has known the defendant can provide weight to the letter. If too much time has passed, the statement of positive traits may not have much credibility.
Positive traits: The writer should provide specific positive personal examples of the defendant’s behavior, such as his or her kindness to a sick relative or normal financial responsibility. Giving specific examples helps a court get a glimpse of the individual behind the crime.
Potential to rehabilitate: If the writer has seen positive changes in the defendant due to participation in a program, counseling or other factors, they should make the court aware of the actions they have taken to help themselves. Acknowledgment of responsibility can go a long way toward helping a defendant achieve sentencing in line with any plea bargain.
How to Write a Convincing Character Letter
When tasked with the job of writing a character letter, be sure to keep in mind the following writing suggestions:
- Get to the Point Quickly Be direct about what you hope to accomplish in your letter. You don’t have to say "To Whom it May Concern" but do make your purpose clear within the opening paragraph.
- Use Clear Language Take care when composing the letter by avoiding jargon and legal terms. You want your letter to be clear for the judge and other readers, so don’t rely on fancy language to show your intelligence – just keep your letter simple. Don’t use $10 words when a 50¢ one will do the trick.
- Honesty is the Best Policy Lying in a letter to the court may make you seem more desperate in your attempts to help a defendant. That is, being dishonest with a judge is never going to make them appreciate you. If you’re willing to exaggerate the truth in an objective character letter, a judge may start to wonder if you’re simply blowing smoke.
- Use Examples or Anecdotes It’s always good to provide a specific example about what you known about the person’s background that demonstrates their good character. For instance, you might write, "Joe was always the first one on the scene to help me change a tire on my car," or, "I can’t believe that Jill would hit her wife when she was pregnant – she was a champion for careful and safe motherhood." Personal anecdotes are great for painting a picture of who someone is in a letter to a judge.
Common Pitfalls
One common mistake is to fall into a trap of deeply personal, emotional or spiritual descriptions of your relationship with the person for whom you are writing. While it is certainly important for the judge to have the specific information about the relationship, you do not want to lapse into overly emotional terms, as this can detract from the other more focused portions of the letter and not be taken seriously by the judge. Another issue I often see is jumping all over the place in the letter , trying to do too much. It is much easier to write a character letter that flows logically instead of bouncing around from topic to topic. Be sure you have a logical progression in mind as you are writing the letter so it makes sense to the reader. One final issue I see is people adding extraneous details that have nothing to do with the case itself, but instead are more personal anecdotes. Be sure to stick to the facts of the case and focus on what you know, instead of what you think may have happened.
Character Letter Sample
Your letter format should be simple. We recommend the following:
Format
When you write your character letter to the Judge, address it "Honorable" (as shown below).
You want to keep things as simple as possible when writing a character letter because, as you might have seen in our example note to the judge, there are so many things that you do not have to put in your letter. For this reason, you don’t need to make it too formal. It is fine for the letter to simply be composed of paragraphs with indentations. There isn’t a special legal character letter format required.
Dear Honorable ______________:
Subject: Character Letter for _________ (Defendants Name)
Dear Honorable _______________:
Subject: Character Letter for DEFENDANT NAME
If this is a letter from multiple family members, we recommend listing those family members’ names after the subject line:
Dear Honorable ___________:
Subject: Character Letter for _________ (Defendants Name)
______(Family member names).
Final Steps Prior to Sending
Once the draft of your character letter is complete, review it for any grammatical or spelling errors. A letter full of simple mistakes sends the message that you don’t truly care about the person enough to review your writing. While small errors are not going to solely determine whether a judge approves of the letter, if those errors add together to create a false impression of the defendant , then it can become an issue. Ask for a friend or family member to read the draft too. They may notice errors that you missed or think of something else they’d like addressed in the letter. These can be important. The final thing to check is whether there are any requirements for submission of character letters to the court. For example, most courts require that character letters be submitted through an attorney. Some judges and courts also have rules about the length of character letters and the number of letters that can be submitted by one person. Checking these requirements will ensure your letter is reviewed instead of thrown out.