According to the Kentucky Court of Justice, a character letter is defined as “a letter that speaks to the good character, reputation, and moral turpitude of an individual.” In other words, a character letter is meant to vouch for an individual’s good standing in the community. If you have been asked to write a character letter on behalf of someone who is facing criminal charges, it is important to be thoughtful and considerate in your approach. After all, the person’s future could potentially be at stake. Here are some tips on how to write a character letter to a judge in Kentucky.
1) Understand the Purpose of a Character Letter
Before you begin writing, it is important to take some time to understand the purpose of a character letter. As we noted above, a character letter is meant to vouch for an individual’s good standing in the community. In order for your letter to be effective, you will need to provide examples that support your claims about the person’s character.
2) Keep It Brief
When writing a character letter, it is important to keep your comments brief and to the point. The judge does not have time to read through pages and pages of information. A few well-chosen sentences will suffice.
3) Stick To The Facts
When writing a character letter, it is important to stick to the facts. Do not speculate about what might have happened or offer your opinion on the case itself. Simply state the facts as you know them.
4) Use Specific Examples
If you want your character letter to be effective, you will need to provide specific examples that illustrate the person’s good character. For instance, if you are writing on behalf of a coach, you might mention an incident where he went above and beyond for one of his players. Or if you are writing on behalf of a teacher, you might mention an instance where she went out of her way to help a struggling student.
5) Be Truthful
It goes without saying that your character letter should be truthful. Do not exaggerate or make claims that you cannot back up with evidence. Not only is this dishonest, but it could also backfire and do more harm than good.
Writing a character letter can be tricky business. But if you follow these tips—understand the purpose of the letter, keep it brief, stick to the facts, use specific examples—you should be able to compose an effective letter that will vouch for the person’s good character. If you need help in writing a character letter or have sentencing issues, please feel free to give our office a call at (859) 201-3550.