1. A trial judge’s formal address to a convicted defendant, asking him or her to speak in mitigation of the sentence to be imposed. • This address is required under Fed. R. Crim. P. 32(c)(3)(C).
2. An unsworn statement from a convicted defendant to the sentencing judge or jury in which the defendant can ask for mercy, explain his or her conduct, apologize for the crime, or say anything else in an effort to lessen the impending sentence. • This statement is not subject to cross-examination. [Cases: Sentencing and Punishment 356–360. C.J.S. Criminal Law § 1498.]
victim allocution. A crime victim’s address to the court before sentencing, usu. urging a harsher punishment. [Cases: Sentencing and Punishment 361. C.J.S. Criminal Law §§ 1460, 1472, 1479–1480, 1492–1495, 1530, 1779.]
