About the Victim’s Impact Panel for Domestic Violence Intervention

Picking up the pieces after the resolution of a domestic violence case is never easy. Regardless, the next step to take is to move on and carry out the terms of sentencing. As part of your sentence, the judge may order you to attend a victim’s impact panel. This program may be part of larger, court-approved domestic violence classes. Online and in-person, these interventions are hosted to show perpetrators of abuse how their decisions and actions can negatively affect others.

Victim’s impact panels are meant to teach others. They allow victims of domestic violence, drunk driving, and other crimes to share their stories and tell others how inappropriate and criminal behavior has affected their lives. Given the scope and content of these panels, they give a voice to the hurt and may highlight avenues to healing.

While it is never easy for victims to share their experiences, these panels are nonetheless helpful and insightful tools. Another aim of the victim’s impact panel is to show abusers that their actions, behaviors, and decisions affect more than themselves. By teaching the value of self-awareness and restraint, participants of the victim’s impact panel can learn valuable lessons as they reintegrate into society.

If you have been mandated to attend a victim’s impact panel, the courts can direct you to upcoming gatherings and where you may attend them. Some states allow these panels to be hosted online. Both in-person and online panels may include a testing portion and a certificate that the attendees will use to prove their compliance. Court-approved domestic violence classes online can supplement the content of a victim’s impact panel.