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Parole System Silencing Victims' Voices

Parole System Silencing Victims' Voices - Wednesday, April 30, 2008 at 5:33PM EST

Reported by: Andy Mehalshick
Wednesday, Apr 30, 2008 @ 05:33pm EST
Susan Hooper from Wilkes-Barre is on a mission - a 16 year mission that started when her brother, Bob Curley, was poisoned to death. His wife, Joann Curley, is now serving a 10 to 20 year prison term. She's tried twice for early parole but twice she was denied. And both times Susan could not speak directly to the person making the decision. We spoke to her earlier this year, when the board was about to make its decision.

"Now, we are not allowed to go, unfortunately we don't have the right as victims, victim survivors, it seems like the defendant has more rights than we do," she said.

And she's not alone in her feelings. Other victims’ families have told the I-Team they feel cheated by the parole system. They can send written testimony, DVDs, videotapes and can give testimony to a hearing examiner, but they don't talk directly to the any of the 9 parole board members.

"We have no right to go to Harrisburg and stand before the parole board, so we can tell the parole board all about Bobby, what kind of person he was, we wonder what he would be like today. They can go see the person in prison, we can’t," said Hooper.

The I-Team did speak with an official with the State Board of Probation and Parole. She told us that the board handles some 1,700 cases each month. That shear number is a real challenge. She also said that victim's family members can talk with one of the 15 hearing examiners who helps make the final decision, who relays their feelings and information to the actual board member. It’s a long process that takes some 8 months and is a process they take seriously.

State Representative Todd Eachus from Luzerne County says maybe it’s time to change that longtime policy. "But in these kinds of cases where the parolees has opportunity to get released in the community I don't think its too much to ask for board to change the policy and allow for those victims to have not just DVD testimony, have their own words said from their lips to parole board's ears about what their concerns are about potential release of convict," said Eachus.

Luzenre County D. A. Jackie Musto Carroll agrees a policy change should be made. "Maybe the most serious cases, start with families with murder victims, child abused, killed or even raped, get their message to the board," she said.

Carroll says at least that would be a start, to change a policy that most agree favors the convicted.
 



Comments:

Virginian - Sunday, May 4, 2008 [10:59:15] EDT
It is an outrage that Joann Curley has not been executed for this horrible, horrible crime. If she was, the Curley family could at least know that she will never hurt anyone again.

Does anyone every think about the rights of the society at large? And that we have the right to be protected from people like Joann Curley?

Finally, WHY wasn't Bob Curley given intravenous Vitamin C, which is the universal antidote for poisoning? Many doctors, including Dr. Klenner of North Carolina, have used Vitamin C in large doses by mouth and injection to save patients from poisoning.

Dr. Klenner said years ago that doctors would rather stand over a patient and watch him die than give him a shot of Vitamin C. He was right then and he is right now.


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