A governor appointed Parole Review Commission heard testimony that parole, dramatically curtailed by the state legislature in the 1990s, must be reinstated. Others say it's time to reconsider the efficacy of no parole.
A commission appointed to consider reinstating parole met in Richmond Monday to hear from experts on crime and punishment and from victims like Judy Choendley who said the men who killed her father should never be freed.
“They shot him and left him on the sidewalk to bleed to death, laughing as they ran away. This was not an accident, nor was it the first time any of them had committed a crime. My father never was there for my first date, to teach me to drive, my wedding, my children or my heart breaks, because these three men thought that stealing $3,000 was more important. I will never forget my mother’s face as she tried to tell her three young children that our lives would never be the same. These men did not create a hole in her heart. They ripped it out and crushed it.”
Commission member and State Senator David Marsden was sympathetic but felt it was still important to talk about allowing parole for people who commit certain crimes.
“You hear these heartfelt stories of victims, and you feel terrible, but at the same time you hear of tragic injustices that are done to individuals, and you want to right them. I think there’s middle ground that we can reach.”
A prominent Republican warned, yesterday, that efforts to reinstate parole were doomed. Delegate David Albo, who heads the House Courts and Justice Committee, told members of the commission appointed to consider the issue:
“You guys can do whatever you want to do in your report, but I would just like to give you a tip. There is no way, impossible, will never happen, we will never bring back parole, because there are 64 members of the Republican party in the House of Delegates. It’s never going to happen.”
That was fine with victims of crime like Glory Crawford, who recalled how her cousin was shot to death during an incident of road rage. It happened in 1989, when the victim was a freshman at Virginia Tech.
“The offender was sentenced to 15 years in prison, and after 3 years he was up for parole, but I went back to the parole board every year, until after 8 years of 15, the parole board told me that they had to let him out. Since he’s been out, he has been in nothing but trouble. “
But Roanoke native RahimMuhammed - a beneficiary of parole - urged the board to bring parole back. He was sentenced to 29 years in prison at the age of 17 but was released after 12 years behind bars.
“I made every effort to improve my attitude, to improve my behavior, and to change my life, with hopes of being released and becoming a productive citizen.”
Despite the warning from Delegate Albo, Commission member and State Senator David Marsden said the justice system needed reforms, and he wanted to pursue them.
“We certainly spend more money than any civilized country in the world on incarceration, and I’m working right now on a re-entry effort that I’m hopeful to get into the budget this year - and I’m working with the Koch Brothers, and you’re not going to find more conservative people than that.”
The commission votes on recommendations November 18th before submitting its final report to the governor.
