Recently, Victoria became the second Australian State to introduce victim impact statements in criminal proceedings. The legislation allows crime victims to provide written or oral statements on the effect of injury, loss, or damage suffered by them. The procedure has been criticized by some because of its potential for eroding the rights of defendants. Victim advocacy groups have also had reservations about what they view as "band- aid" law. They fear that such measures take the place of more substantive reforms in the law that will increase victim services. This article adds a third criticism of victim impact statements, that is, that they are inconsistent with the criminal justice system's commitment to efficiency. The authors' research in the summary jurisdiction in Victoria confirms that courts currently receive inadequate information about harm to crime victims. At the same time, the research suggests that more victim impact information would have little effect on court outcomes. At best, victim impact statements are a symbolic concession to meeting victim concerns. In a court system that gives high priority to efficiency, "add-on" mechanisms such as victim impact statements are less likely to prove effective than simpler techniques that integrate victim information into existing criminal justice practices. 7 references