{"id":2871,"date":"2021-02-05T11:19:28","date_gmt":"2021-02-05T19:19:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.crimeandconsequences.blog\/?p=2871"},"modified":"2021-02-07T22:06:44","modified_gmt":"2021-02-08T06:06:44","slug":"la-da-mythology-on-parole-hearings-and-victims","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crimeandconsequences.blog\/?p=2871","title":{"rendered":"LA DA Mythology on Parole Hearings and Victims"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bill Melugin of Fox 11 LA, has posted on Twitter the LA DA’s message to the media in response to the Sheriff’s letter on attendance at parole hearings, noted here<\/a> Wednesday. One can only wonder what alternate reality these people are living in.<\/p>\n

“When heart-wrenching crimes occur, victims and their families are changed forever. That is why District Attorney Gasc\u00f3n has directed our office’s victim advocates, who are trained to provide trauma-informed care, to support victims during parole hearings. They are available to attend any hearing where victims want them present. Sheriff’s deputies, like prosecutors, do not have all the pertinent facts and evaluations at their disposal. The Parole Board does — and its sole purpose is to objectively determine whether someone is suitable for release.” — Alex Bastian, Special Advisor to District Attorney George Gasc\u00f3n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Where do we begin?<\/p>\n

The DA’s special advisor seems to think that “trauma-informed care” and “support” is what victims need during a parole hearing.<\/em> I do not doubt in the slightest that there is a need, a time, and a place for such care, but the parole hearing is not it. Victims who attend parole hearings almost always do so because they oppose parole, and they need an advocate who can and will present the case as to why the perpetrator of the crimes against them should not be released.<\/p>\n

Are the victim advocates trained in presenting such a case? I haven’t worked with LA’s victim advocates and don’t know the answer, but the response above is not claiming that they are. Further, it does not say that is why they are attending.<\/p>\n

And then there is this: “Sheriff’s deputies, like prosecutors, do not have all the pertinent facts and evaluations at their disposal. The Parole Board does ….” That is so wrong it is almost painful to read.<\/p>\n

Among the most pertinent facts to be considered are the crime the perpetrator committed and the crimes he has committed before. It is axiomatic that the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior.<\/p>\n

Does the Parole Board have all those facts? One of the functions of an advocate is to present<\/em> those facts. Does the Parole Board know the full extent of the harm that the perpetrator perpetrated on the victims? “Defendant was convicted of a violation of section 261 of the Penal Code” does not come close to explaining the life-altering trauma that a rapist may have inflicted on the victim.<\/p>\n

The Parole Board has reports from the prison. Perhaps the perpetrator has obeyed the rules there. Perhaps he has attended classes and therapy sessions and has done what was expected in them. Perhaps he gets good marks from people who have never seen him outside a custodial setting and have only a vague idea of the crimes that landed him there. Is that a complete picture? Hardly.<\/p>\n

Sociopaths are often very skilled liars, manipulators, and con men. They can play good while being coiled to strike as soon as they are released. What the perpetrator did on the outside world is at least as important as what he has done inside prison. The Parole Board will not have that part of the picture unless someone with the facts and skills to present it does so.<\/p>\n

Mr. Gasc\u00f3n has barred his deputies from opposing parole for the specific purpose of insuring that the Parole Board does not<\/em> have all the pertinent facts. His pretense to the contrary is deceptive.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bill Melugin of Fox 11 LA, has posted on Twitter the LA DA’s message to the media in response to the Sheriff’s letter on attendance at parole hearings, noted here Wednesday. One can only wonder what alternate reality these people are living in. “When heart-wrenching crimes occur, victims and their families are changed forever. That is why District Attorney Gasc\u00f3n has directed our office’s victim advocates, who are trained to provide trauma-informed care, to support victims during parole hearings. They are available to attend any hearing where victims want them present. Sheriff’s deputies, like prosecutors, do not have all the pertinent facts and evaluations at their disposal. The Parole Board does — and its sole purpose is to objectively determine whether someone is suitable for release.” — Alex Bastian, Special Advisor to District Attorney George Gasc\u00f3n Where do we begin?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[44,68],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2871","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-probation-and-parole","category-prosecutors"],"yoast_head":"\nLA DA Mythology on Parole Hearings and Victims - Crime & Consequences<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Bill Melugin of Fox 11 LA, has posted on Twitter the LA DA's message to the media in response to the Sheriff's letter on attendance at parole hearings, noted here Wednesday. 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