If you have a friend or family member who is going through a court case, there may be times when a strong character letter can help. For example, at a bail hearing, or at sentencing, judges give weight to a defendant’s reputation and ties to the community. Your letter may be very important in assisting the judge to get an overall picture of the person, and thus, to view them holistically, rather than just as a defendant described in a police report.
How to address your letter
If your friend or family member has an attorney, you should send it to the attorney, so that they can compile the letters altogether for submission to court. If you know the judge’s name, include it. If you don’t know who the judge is, you can just write to “The Honorable Judge” or “Your Honor.” Here is an example of the to address:
The Honorable Judge Denise Casper
United States District Court, District of Massachusetts
c/o Simons Law Office
53 State Street, Suite 500
Boston, Massachusetts 02109
The letter should be easily readable and typically a page or two is good. If you can type it up, please do; if not, write as neatly as possible. Your letter should include your name, address, and telephone number. Make sure to sign it at the bottom.
How many character letters should a defendant submit for sentencing?
There is no bright line rule in terms of the number of letters, and lawyers surely differ on this question. Some lawyers try to accumulate as many as possible, to show immense community support for their client. We often suggest that quality over quantity drives home the point in the most optimal way, and that 3-5 good, strong character letters will be best.
Who should submit a character letter?
If you’re going to get 3-5 character letters, you may want to seek them from: family members, supervisors at work, co-workers, therapists, or colleagues.
How to write a good character letter for sentencing
This next part pertains specifically to sentencing, but you can adapt the suggestions to fit your purposes, if asked to write a character letter for something other than a criminal sentencing hearing.
Introduce yourself, explaining how long and under what circumstances you have known the person. What is your relationship and how well do you know the person?
Give your honest opinion about your friend or family member. You may want to consider some of the following prompts:
- Is he (or she or they) a thoughtful person? Do you know of any kindness he has shown toward others? Does he have good relationships with his friends and family? Give specific examples if you can.
- Is he a productive member of society? Do you feel that he will be a productive member of society after this case is over?
- Do you believe that this offense is out of character for the person? Is it unlikely that he will violate the law in the future? Why do you think so?
- Has the person been a hard worker and loyal employee? Does he show career promise? Give specific examples if you can.
- Do you think that this experience has taught the person any lessons? What lessons and why?
- Describe how he has dealt with any hardships or setbacks, if you can.
These are just suggestions, of course, and you should write about whatever you think is most important.
There is no need to ignore the fact that your friend or family member has been charged with a violation of the law. If you believe his character is basically good despite your hearing of a charge against him, then you should not hesitate to say so.
We have found that you can most effectively express yourself if your letter not only states your opinion, but also explains why you hold that opinion. It is often very helpful to include an example of some praiseworthy incident or conduct by your friend or family member that you have witnessed or heard of to show how he has behaved well in the past.
Naturally, all of the above suggestions are general. If you have any questions, please feel free to call us at 781-797-0555 for a telephone consultation today.
