After a person is locked up in prison for years because of a crime he or she committed against you, the last thing you will want is for that person to get released. While it's not possible for you to stop this for sure, there may be things you can do that will influence the judge not to approve parole. Here are two things you can do that might help you through this.
Write a Letter To The Court
You may not realize that courts take letters into consideration when making decisions, and this includes decisions relating to parole. If you are completely against a person being released or let out on parole, you have the right to voice your opinion. When you do this, include these items in the letter:
- Proper address – you can address the letter by writing "Dear Honorable Parole Board Members." Addressing the recipients of the letter in this way shows respect to them.
- Background – another important element of this letter is background information about yourself. You do not want to make the letter really long by including your entire life story, but you should include important facts such as your name and relationship to the inmate.
- Purpose – always be clear with the purpose of the letter. In this case, your purpose would be to ask the court to keep the inmate in prison instead of granting him or her parole.
- Closing statements – make sure you close the letter by thanking the court for reading your letter and considering your request, and end up by signing your name.
Make sure you write and send your letter far enough in advance before the scheduled date for the parole hearing so the court has time to read it.
Request a Risk Assessment Evaluation
Within the letter you write, you could take your request one step further by asking for a risk assessment evaluation on the inmate. This is usually something that is done before parole is considered, but your request may ensure that it is completed thoroughly.
A risk assessment evaluation is completed by a trained risk expert, and it is used to determine the inmate's state of mind and condition before being released. Risk assessments are used for many reasons, but the main reason is to make sure that the person will not be a danger to society if he or she is released.
A large percentage of criminals released from prison end up in prison again in the future. The word recidivism describes the relapses of criminals after being released, and the statistics relating to this are shocking. According to the National Institute of Justice:
- 67.8% of inmates end up back in prison within three years
- 56.7% of inmates released end up back in prison within one year
The problem that happens frequently is that prison doesn't teach a person better habits and life skills. As these statistics show, most criminals end up committing crimes again, and this makes people wonder what good prison is.
By requesting a thorough evaluation of the inmate, the risk assessment expert might discover that this person is not ready to face the real world. If this person committed a heinous crime against you or a close family member, you may fear that he or she will do this to you again, or you might fear that the inmate may do this to someone else.
There is nothing you can do to guarantee that the court will deny the parole, but taking these two steps may help your case. If you need assistance with your case, contact a risk assessment expert like http://www.mindsetconsultinggroup.com today.
