COLUMBUS, GA – Approximately 160 crime victims met today with members of the State Board of Pardons and Paroles. The event which began at 10:00 a.m., was held at the Columbus Government Center Plaza.

This marks the first Victims Visitors’ Day of 2015 and the twenty-first since the program began in 2006. The Parole Board conducts at least two of these events each calendar year. The events are designed to give crime victims and members of their families an opportunity to personally express thoughts and concerns about their offenders’ cases to members of the Parole Board.

“The Board remains committed to public safety and we find great satisfaction in being able to assist victims in this manner. These are among our top priorities as an agency. Today we set aside every minute to give victims our undivided attention. We will not leave until every person has had an opportunity to talk privately with a Board Member,” said Parole Board Chairman Terry Barnard.

The event was planned in conjunction with the Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit’s Victim Witness Assistance Program. This is the first time Victims Visitors’ Day has returned to Columbus since 2009. All five Board Members were in attendance for today’s meetings.

Parole Board Executive Director Michael Nail said, “When speaking with victims that have been impacted by crime, it is gratifying to hear that they were able to have their questions answered and gain an understanding of the parole process. More importantly is the fact that they realize that we are concerned and care about them as individuals, and that they always have a voice with the Parole Board.”

For more information on the Parole Board or Victims Visitors’ Day, please visit our website at www.pap.georgia.gov.

####