How much voice does the victim have in the parole process?
The impact of a crime on a victim, and the victim’s concerns for safety are major considerations in each parole decision. In addition to parole denial, the Board has other restrictive options that take the victim into account, such as adding special parole conditions which ban the parolee from certain areas or require him to pay restitution to the victim. In 1991 the Board established its Victim Services Office so that victims and agencies representing victims would have a faster and more personal response to their needs. The Board continually strives for ways to attend to victims during this last phase of the criminal justice process. Also see Parole’s Office of Victim Services. However, while looking at each case individually, Board members also study the case from a relative standpoint, comparing each case to others which share similar components. The Board is entrusted to make an objective decision rising above political and personal consideration.
