Victim Issues for Parole Boards (Video)

• NCJ Number: 180108
• Author(s): Barbara Connell; Liesbeth W. Healy
• Date Published: May 2000
• Length: 0 pages
• Contract Number(s): 96-MU-MU-K002
• Sponsoring Agency: Office for Victims of Crime (OVC)
• Corporate Author: Education Development Ctr
• Sale Source: OVC Resource Ctr
• Publication Format: Film
• Publication Type: Program/Project Description
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Using comments by both victims and parole board members, as well as portrayals of actual parole board hearings in which crime victims participate, this video shows how many parole boards are providing access and services to crime victims whose offenders are appearing before the parole board.

Abstract

A narrator provides comments and information regarding trends in parole board attention to the needs of victims in the context of parole board decision making. The narrator notes that some parole boards have even established divisions within the board whose single focus is on providing services to crime victims. Services may include emotional support, the provision of information regarding how the corrections department is managing the offender and the time table for a parole hearing, and the provision of services that can ease the stress of testifying before the parole board. Parole board members talk about the value of having crime victims provide details on the nature of the crime and how the crime has impacted the victim and/or family members. Victims can give a sense of the dangerousness of an offender and the kinds of risks that may be involved in the offender's release on parole. The narrator advises that giving victims access to parole hearings not only helps victims but also opens up parole hearings to public view. Massachusetts and South Carolina are two States that grant victim testimony in parole hearings. This video provides clips of actual hearings before these two boards, including both offender and victim testimony before the board. Two crime victims who serve on parole boards discuss the importance of their experience in giving parole boards a needed perspective on what parole of an offender may mean to a victim. Parole board members comment on the importance of their receiving all information relevant to the parole decision while remaining objective and fair in making that decision. VHS color video, 16:55 mins. See NCJ-180109 for the discussion guide.