Pain, Love, and Voice: The Role of Domestic Violence Victims in Sentencing

The standing of a victim as a proponent for harsher sentencing is a matter which is far from simple, yet we shall focus on a matter which is even tougher: the standing of a victim who requests leniency. [...] how should the court act when those belonging to a defined group deemed worthy of special protection, namely, victims of intimate partner violence, seek leniency for their partners? The problem highlighted here is the relationship between the public interest and victims' private interest.