Victims can meet one-on-one with the Parole Board during Victims Visitors’ Day

Atlanta, GA – The 2014 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week will be celebrated Sunday, April 6, through Saturday, April 12, 2014. Georgia will hold a statewide National Crime Victims’ Rights Week Ceremony and Open House to honor Georgia crime victims at the Department of Corrections’ headquarters in Forsyth on April 7th.

This year’s theme is, “30 Years: Restoring the Balance of Justice.” This year’s recognition marks the important milestone of the passage of the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) in 1984.

The state’s Multi-Agency Victim Services Partnership invites victims of crime, including family members of crime victims, to attend the annual ceremony at 10 a.m., and the Open House at 12 p.m., at State Offices South at Tift Campus. The ceremony will be in Roberts Chapel.

Georgia crime victims also can schedule a meeting with the State Board of Pardons and Paroles to discuss the cases of the offenders committing the crimes against them. Meetings with Board Members will be conducted during the agency’s Victims Visitors’ Day that will be held in conjunction with the Open House.

“When victims are given the opportunity to describe in detail how the crime continues to affect their lives, it increases our sensitivity as Board Members. Although reliving the crime may be painful for them, we hope it provides some relief for them to know we really do care and, to some degree, can feel their pain,” says Parole Board Chairman Albert Murray.

At these events, victims will have the opportunity to meet with sponsoring agencies and take advantage of the following services:

·         get questions answered regarding claims processing;

·         receive current information on the offender, including the maximum release date,

          parole date and where the inmate is incarcerated;

·         register to receive further notifications of an offender’s status;

·         submit Victim Impact Statements;

·         receive Victim Services information, and;

·         learn how to navigate the Department of Corrections and the State Board of Pardons

          and Paroles’ websites.

Victims planning to attend are asked to register by calling 404-651-6668 or 1 (800) 593-9474 by Friday, March 28th.

The Multi-Agency Victim Services Partnership consists of the following agencies: Administrative Office of the Courts, Georgia Commission on Family Violence, Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, Department of Corrections, Department of Juvenile Justice, Department of Public Safety, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Governor’s Office of Children and Families, Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, State Board of Pardons and Paroles, and Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia.

For more information on the Parole Board please visit our website at www.pap.georgia.gov.

           

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