What Is It, And Why Does It Matter?
Allocution is when you speak on your own behalf during the sentencing phase of a criminal court case. The judge will ask if you, the defendant, has anything to say before moving on to sentencing, and it is at this point that you can speak honestly, from the heart.
Here, we believe that this moment is one of the most important for you, the person seeking mercy, to speak humbly and honestly from the heart. The less that is scripted or prompted from notecards, the better.
Now, whether you’re in the county jail, MDC, or at home, you can practice this – and it’s pretty easy to do. Just repeat what you’re going to say over and over again. Don’t rely on writing it out. It needs to look like it’s impassionately coming from the heart in that moment.
Finally, you must save some lines in your speech to take responsibility for your actions. No excuses. A lot of things that guys forget that, in the eye of the judge and the courts, drug crimes do have victims.
The victims are the people who bought or received the drugs that you were trafficking or selling. Also, your family, the recipients’ families, and even the court, for using their resources to sentence you. Yes, most would consider this logic to be flawed one way or another, but you must speak to your audience – and this is how they think.
Based on this reasoning, there’s always a victim – some more obvious than others. If it’s a healthcare fraud thing, the American people are the victim. The money that you siphoned from the system was meant to service Americans, and so you should acknowledge that you victimized those who could have been serviced by those funds.
Allocution may be even more important than what’s said in letters to the judge. Judges know that letters are pre-written, and that anyone could take all the time in the world to say the right things. Especially letters from loved ones – of course they’re going to say nice things about their friends and family members.
What can be said from the heart, off the cuff, in the moment can make a huge impact. It’s important to have this part of the process on lock.