Editing Allocution (section)

==Australia==
In Australia, the term ''allocutus'' is used by the Clerk of Arraigns or another formal associate of the court.

It is generally phrased as: "Prisoner at the Bar, you have been found Guilty by a jury of your peers of the offence of XYZ. Do you have anything to say as to why the sentence of this Court should not now be passed upon you?"<ref>e.g. in Queensland, [http://www5.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/qld/consol_reg/cpr1999208/s51.html Criminal Practice Rules 1999 s51]</ref>

The [[Defense (legal)|defense counsel]] will then make a ''plea in mitigation'' (also called ''submissions on penalty'') in an attempt to mitigate the relative seriousness of the offense, and heavily refer to and rely upon the defendant's previous good character and good works, if any.

The right to make a plea in mitigation is absolute: if a judge or magistrate refuses to hear such a plea or does not properly consider it, the sentence can be overturned on appeal.