Leniency Hardship Letter

{Name}
{Address}
{Phone #}

{Date}

Honorable {judge}:

This letter is a plea for leniency on behalf of {defendant}. {Name} is my {relationship}. In the time since the {arrest/conviction}, I have watched {name} struggle with feelings of guilt and shame. I have never seen someone so remorseful.

I have always known {name} to be moral, kind-hearted, and above all a good person. It's hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that {he/she} committed this crime. But {he/she} did it, and, true to character, takes full responsibility.

If the maximum sentence is handed down, it will create an extreme hardship for {name} and family. Due to {his/her} poor choices, career opportunities have been severely limited. However, there are so many people in {his/her} corner, believing that this was an anomaly that won't be repeated, that several jobs have already been offered. If leniency is granted, {defendant} can be contributing to society in a positive way and keeping the family off of public assistance. If {he/she} is required to {serve out sentence/pay large fine}, I cannot imagine any positive outcomes.

Thank you very much for considering leniency.

Sincerely,

{Sender Name}

Index of Hardship Letter Examples