Allocution: The direct address between the judge and the convicted defendant prior to sentencing. During the address, the judge speaks directly to the defendant and asks if the defendant has anything to add prior to hearing the sentence. The defendant then answers the judge and may say anything in an effort to lessen the severity of the sentence, such as an apology, an offering of remorse, or an explanation of the motivations that drove the defendant’s criminal actions.
“In the criminal procedure of some common law jurisdictions, an allocution or allocutus is a formal statement made to the court by the defendant who has been found guilty, prior to being sentenced.”
also see John Brown’s allocution a pre civil war speech
Download the pdf HERE
and
allocution of King James VI
Redress ~ 4 ~ Dummies 