For crime victims and their family members, the potential parole of an attacker is both terrifying and emotionally draining. Many family members also worry whether their concerns will be heard by the parole board prior to any decision.
Houston Crime Stoppers is now addressing these concerns through a unique program that records victim impact statements to be used during the parole process.
Houston Crime Stoppers Director of Victim Services, Andy Kahan, came up with the idea of making these videos after hearing family members worry whether they would be alive at the time a killer comes up for parole, in good enough health to attend the hearing, or be able to afford to travel to where a hearing is taking place. Kahan said family statements do have an impact on the parole board’s decision on whether to release an offender.
“I want the parole board to know who this person was, what they meant to your family, what the loss has done to your family,” Kahan said he tells those recording statements. “Quite frankly, it is simply a file that the parole board has; it’s like a box and a file. They don’t know the person who was murdered. I want you to bring them back to life.”
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