Victims' Rights in the Parole Process
The Parole Board wants all victims to know their parole system rights: to give the Board views about the crime and the offender, to find out what the Board is doing on the case, and upon request, to be notified of any planned parole. You can find the Crime Victims Bill of Rights here.
Board Services to Crime Victims
After an offender enters the prison system, the victim or victim's family member can contact the Parole Board to give views and information about the case, find out what the Board is doing on the case, and request notification of any parole. Such contacts are welcome and kept confidential.
The best way to contact the Board is to write a letter to the director of the Georgia Office of Victim Services. The writer can object to future parole and say why, or the writer can simply ask to be notified before any final parole decision is made.
The Board will make the letter a permanent and confidential part of its case file on the inmate. Then if the Board ever plans to grant parole, it will write the correspondent and give that person the chance to express his or her view again.
Victims or their survivors may complete and submit a Victim Impact Statement form online by clicking here or they can download it and mail it to the address found at the end of this web page. Forms are also available through the local prosecutor's office here or by writing or calling the Parole Board.
The Board makes tentative decisions on non-life sentenced inmates early in the sentence, therefore letters and statements should be sent to the Board soon after the inmate enters the prison system.
The Board appreciates the help it receives from public and private agencies in informing victims about their rights. This assistance comes from victim service providers in the offices of prosecutors, law enforcement, the Department of Family and Children Services, rape crisis centers, county health centers, domestic violence shelters, and victim services and support organizations like Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Board Members especially appreciate views and information sent to the Georgia Office of Victim Services by those service providers.
For additional information call, or email ([email protected]) the Georgia Office of Victim Services. If a victim or victim's family member wishes to meet with a Board representative about a case, they can come to the Board's central office on any work day between 8:15 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. No appointment is necessary. The Parole Board is firmly committed to working with victims and all private citizens to establish a more responsive, accountable, and effective criminal justice system. For further information visit or write:
Georgia Office of Victim Services
State Board of Pardons and Paroles
2 M.L. King, Jr. Drive, SE
Suite 430, West Tower
Atlanta, Georgia 30334
Telephone: 404-651-6668