About

Why Justice Draft exists

Justice Draft exists because writing a victim statement shouldn't feel impossible.

A message from the founder

Hi, my name is Rae 👋

For most of the day, I work quietly in the community services sector. For the rest of it, I run Justice Draft. Justice Draft was founded so that no survivor has to write their victim impact statement alone. If you have a moment, I'd like to tell you how it started.

A few years ago, one of my clients asked me to help her apply for criminal injuries compensation. I'll call her Alice. One of the things Alice needed was a victim impact statement. Her lawyer handed her a 7-page printout on how to write one and told her to come back when it was done.

It wasn't that simple. A victim impact statement asks you to re-live the worst thing that has happened to you and put the harm into words, often with very little support. That is hard for anyone. For some people, there are extra barriers on top: no computer at home, they left school a long time ago, English as a second language.

Alice didn't feel she could do it alone. So we did it together. Every week for six weeks, I brought my laptop to our appointments and wrote down her answers to that 7-page printout. We stopped whenever she needed a break. I validated her tears, sat with her through the silences, and only ended those appointments when I was sure she was okay. After Alice, I started offering the same help to other clients. Every single person wanted help. Not one person felt they could do it alone.

That was the seed of Justice Draft. Our mission is simple: to help more people access the right help, in the right way. No one should ever feel like they can't do this. There will always be a free version. We will always protect our users through privacy and trauma-informed language. And as we grow, we will keep removing barriers between victim-survivors and justice.

Thank you for trusting Justice Draft with something this important. If there is any way we can improve, please let us know by emailing support@justicedraft.com.au

What Justice Draft is — and isn’t

Justice Draft is a free, guided writing tool. It helps people who have been the victim of a crime put their experience into words. The statement you create can be submitted to the court, or attached to a criminal injuries compensation application.

Justice Draft is not a law firm. It does not provide legal advice. It cannot tell you what will happen in your case, or guarantee any outcome.

What it can do is make writing a victim impact statement less overwhelming. It guides you through one step at a time, with questions written by people who understand how hard it can be to tell your story.

How the questions were designed

The ten questions in Justice Draft were developed with reference to victim impact statement guidelines from across Australia, and written using trauma-informed language. Each question is designed to make writing about a painful experience a little easier. The language is gentle and validating, and it encourages honest expression without pressure.

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A social enterprise

Justice Draft is a social enterprise. That means we exist to do good, not to make a profit. It is free to use because we believe access to this kind of support should not depend on what someone can afford. The core tool is free, and our commitment is to keep it that way.

Ready to start?

There's no deadline here. Start when it feels right, save your progress, and come back whenever you're ready.

Start your statement
Free. Private. 20–40 minutes. Save and return any time.