Upload your Letter of Support

Sample Letter of Support

Recommendations for Letter of Support

• Use organizational letterhead, if available. If you are a professional, then you can use your own letterhead. Otherwise, you can print the letter off on regular paper, but be sure to have your address included. E.g. your address, then the date two lines beneath that, then the judge’s address two lines beneath the date. Line everything up to the left-hand margin.
• Introduce yourself. In the first paragraph, you should explain who you are and your relationship to Nikishna. Also tell the judge your profession and how long you have known Nikishna. You could say, for example, “I am Madelyn Cross, the aunt of Nikishna Polequaptewa.” Or “I am Lupita Sanchez, President of Intel Bank. I have known Nikishna Polequaptewa since October 2012 when we hired him to setup our company IT Infrastructure.”
• You should state that you are aware that Nikishna was charged with a single count of impairment to a protected computer. You could also state that if you know that he has suffered personally and/or professionally for his actions. For example, “I know that he has been let go from jobs because of the time he spent waiting for trial.”
• Discuss the effects imprisonment will have. If you are Nikishna’s spouse or child, you should talk freely about how much you rely on Nikishna. For example, you could state how much you rely on Nikishna’s income and what losing that income would do to your family. Give this information its own paragraph: “My husband is also the primary breadwinner, as I stay home with my children and have only been able to fit part-time work around my schedule. Without Nikishna’s monthly income from his jobs, my family will not be able to pay our mortgage. Instead, we will have to support ourselves solely on my part-time wages, which only cover groceries and medical care. Because my family lives out of state, my children and I will probably have to move into a shelter.”

• Describe Nikishna. You can spend one or two paragraphs describing your impression of Nikishna. Instead of being general, you should try to come up with anecdotes that reveal his character traits or describe how he has helped you in some meaningful way. For example, you could write, “I was surprised by Nikishna’s conviction because he has always been a such a pillar of inspiration to our community…”

• Emphasize Nikishna’s support system. If Nikishna is given probation, then he will be released without spending time in jail. A judge will want to know that Nikishna is not likely to commit future offenses. In a separate paragraph, you should emphasize how much support Nikishna will have outside prison. Highlight what support you will provide. Also talk about any other support that you are aware of. For example, “I will happily hire Nikishna again because he is an excellent worker and we would be proud to have him support our team.”

• Avoid minimizing Nikishna’s guilt. Although you can certainly talk about how the defendant’s accused actions were unusual or atypical for him, you should not minimize the defendant’s culpability. Don’t blame anyone else for the crime. Also avoid making negative comments about the police, judge, or the prosecutor. Now is not the time to attack the other people in the criminal justice system. You also shouldn’t comment about the unfairness of the trial or the criminal justice system in general. That will win you no points with the judge.

• Conclude by thanking the judge. In the final paragraph, you can thank the judge for reading your letter. Make sure not to insert any request for a specific sentence. The purpose of the letter is instead to shed light on Nikishna’s character. Type: “Thank you for taking the time to read my letter.” Then include “Sincerely,” and type your name. Sign with a pen.

• Please upload your letter directly to this site for Nikishna’s attorney to review and forward to the judge.  Thank you!