c. How often do you see or call them?
3. Your knowledge of the person’s charges:
a. Has the person talked with you about the charges and why they are
going to court?
b. How do they feel about what they have done?
c. Are they sorry for what they did?
d. How have they shown that? For example, have they been distressed or
upset? Have they gone to counselling?
e. Have they paid for any damage or said sorry to the victim?
f. Has the person suffered any hardship or punishment because of these
offences? For example, did they lose their job? Was their reputation
damaged? Do they feel disgraced in their community or among family
and friends?
4. Your knowledge of what is going on in the person’s life:
a. What do you know of the person’s background and any hardship in
their life?
b. Are there any personal problems that may have played a part in what
they did? For example, drug or alcohol use, financial issues, mental
illness.
c. What are they doing to overcome these problems
5. Your opinion of the person’s character:
a. What is their general character and reputation in the community?
b. What sort of person are they?
c. Is it out of character that this person committed the offence? Why do
you think this?
d. Do they have prior convictions?
e. If so, does this affect your opinion of the person?
f. Has the person contributed to their community by doing voluntary
work, or had special achievements in their job or schooling, or sporting
activities?