Depending on what you mean by a statement, there may be resources available to help you. If you're talking about making any kind of in-court statement, call the court or the prosecutor ahead of time and ask to be connected with a victims advocate, or with their crisis intervention services unit (not everyone has a CIS unit but it's worth asking). In court a victim advocate is able to stand with you and provide support along the way, the only thing they can't do is get on the stand with you during testimony.
Correct. Talk to whatever witness/victim assistance the court has, talk to the prosecutor doing the case (or the officer/detective if that's what you mean by statement).
There's potentially a LOT to unpack in a question like that that we probably can't adequately answer.
Statement? Like in court or something else public?
Take a breath or two beforehand. But don’t worry if you get emotional, it’s an emotional event and having to replay that can be hard to do.
If it’s court stuff, answer what you’re being asked and try to stay factual, unless you’re asked how you felt about it, then go into detail about what you were feeling. Don’t feel embarrassed about any of it, because I guarantee there will be lot more people feeling empathetic.
I see from your post in Legal Advice Canada that you’re here in Canada, so all the American commenters aren’t familiar with the terminology or procedures (you’re using the terminology correctly, in case you weren’t sure.)
Tower Union gave you a good answer in the other post. I’d add a few small points:
-it can obviously be traumatic to relive, and have to describe, an event like that. But the time and energy you put into providing a good statement is really worthwhile. A good statement avoids any need for a second statement, and could possibly also lead to a guilty plea instead of having to testify in court (when the lawyers know exactly what you have to say, they can figure out how things will go in court.)
-in order to cover off everything the lawyers need to know, they may have to ask questions that could leave you feeling unsupported or disbelieved, but they don’t mean that. If they ask “had you been drinking?” or “how drunk were you?” that’s because it’s something that a sensible judge would want to consider, not that they assume you were drunk, or assume that you’re unreliable even if you were drunk. I don’t know think I’ve explained this as well as I would have liked, but the bottom line is that there’s nothing wrong if they ask you a “difficult “ question, that’s just part of the process.
-for a variety of practical and strategic reasons, the interviewer might or might not ask you to swear to tell the truth at the beginning of the statement. Again, it’s not a question of doubting you, and you should ask the interviewer about it (before or after the statement) if you have any questions.
Thanks for doing what you’re doing. Domestic violence is a really difficult situation for the victim, and it can be really hard to stand up and let your voice be heard. The process isn’t as easy, or as victim-centered, as it probably should be, but doing your part to hold people to account when they do something bad makes the world a better place for us all.
I wouldn’t be embarrassed about drinking being involved, as has already been stated that’s super common in these situations. I’d just focus on being 100% honest and telling everything you can remember about the incident. You never know what might be helpful to the prosecutor, even seemingly insignificant or potentially embarrassing details could turn out to be vitally important. When in doubt, just be honest.
I know you said you’re in Canada, but I understand they have domestic violence victims advocates that work with the police/courts, and since you’re feeling nervous about this I’d reach out to see if you could either speak to an advocate now or perhaps right after you give a statement. They can help connect you with counseling and other resources as well as just be a good support person to turn to while you’re going through this.
Best of luck to you.
It’s extremely common that drinking is involved for incidents that end up in court. If you’re honest and straightforward about it then it isn’t an issue.
Depending on what you mean by a statement, there may be resources available to help you. If you're talking about making any kind of in-court statement, call the court or the prosecutor ahead of time and ask to be connected with a victims advocate, or with their crisis intervention services unit (not everyone has a CIS unit but it's worth asking). In court a victim advocate is able to stand with you and provide support along the way, the only thing they can't do is get on the stand with you during testimony.
Correct. Talk to whatever witness/victim assistance the court has, talk to the prosecutor doing the case (or the officer/detective if that's what you mean by statement). There's potentially a LOT to unpack in a question like that that we probably can't adequately answer.
You should clarify that you’re in Canada. Laws and procedures are completely different there
Statement? Like in court or something else public? Take a breath or two beforehand. But don’t worry if you get emotional, it’s an emotional event and having to replay that can be hard to do. If it’s court stuff, answer what you’re being asked and try to stay factual, unless you’re asked how you felt about it, then go into detail about what you were feeling. Don’t feel embarrassed about any of it, because I guarantee there will be lot more people feeling empathetic.
I see from your post in Legal Advice Canada that you’re here in Canada, so all the American commenters aren’t familiar with the terminology or procedures (you’re using the terminology correctly, in case you weren’t sure.) Tower Union gave you a good answer in the other post. I’d add a few small points: -it can obviously be traumatic to relive, and have to describe, an event like that. But the time and energy you put into providing a good statement is really worthwhile. A good statement avoids any need for a second statement, and could possibly also lead to a guilty plea instead of having to testify in court (when the lawyers know exactly what you have to say, they can figure out how things will go in court.) -in order to cover off everything the lawyers need to know, they may have to ask questions that could leave you feeling unsupported or disbelieved, but they don’t mean that. If they ask “had you been drinking?” or “how drunk were you?” that’s because it’s something that a sensible judge would want to consider, not that they assume you were drunk, or assume that you’re unreliable even if you were drunk. I don’t know think I’ve explained this as well as I would have liked, but the bottom line is that there’s nothing wrong if they ask you a “difficult “ question, that’s just part of the process. -for a variety of practical and strategic reasons, the interviewer might or might not ask you to swear to tell the truth at the beginning of the statement. Again, it’s not a question of doubting you, and you should ask the interviewer about it (before or after the statement) if you have any questions. Thanks for doing what you’re doing. Domestic violence is a really difficult situation for the victim, and it can be really hard to stand up and let your voice be heard. The process isn’t as easy, or as victim-centered, as it probably should be, but doing your part to hold people to account when they do something bad makes the world a better place for us all.
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I wouldn’t be embarrassed about drinking being involved, as has already been stated that’s super common in these situations. I’d just focus on being 100% honest and telling everything you can remember about the incident. You never know what might be helpful to the prosecutor, even seemingly insignificant or potentially embarrassing details could turn out to be vitally important. When in doubt, just be honest. I know you said you’re in Canada, but I understand they have domestic violence victims advocates that work with the police/courts, and since you’re feeling nervous about this I’d reach out to see if you could either speak to an advocate now or perhaps right after you give a statement. They can help connect you with counseling and other resources as well as just be a good support person to turn to while you’re going through this. Best of luck to you.
It’s extremely common that drinking is involved for incidents that end up in court. If you’re honest and straightforward about it then it isn’t an issue.