Crime Victims meet with the Georgia Parole Board in Ringgold

Ringgold, GA - Crime victims were invited to meet with Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles Member Joyette Holmes in Catoosa County Thursday. The parole board conducts Victim Impact Sessions giving victims the opportunity to describe the impact of the crime and express their views on possible parole for the offender.

“As a board, we want to hear from victims prior to making a parole decision,” says Holmes. 

The Georgia Office of Victim Services coordinates the victim impact sessions with the District Attorney’s office. The Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit covers four counties; Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, and Walker. 

The crime victim meets personally with a Georgia Parole Board Member and information from the meeting is included in the case file the board maintains on the parole eligible offender. That information is then available for the entire parole board to consider when deciding parole. 

Holmes says the victims she met with showed great courage. 

“This is hard for these victims, in many instances to relive the crime as they tell us that information. We have the circumstances of these crimes but hearing it directly from the victim and the impact that resulted from the crime has an impact on the board,” states Holmes. 

Holmes discussed the crimes of five different cases in individual meetings with the victims of those crimes.

The victims are able to ask questions about the parole decision-making process during the session. Victims registered with the Georgia Office of Victim Services receive post-conviction services to include notifications regarding pending parole decisions and final decisions made by the board.

Crime victims may register at [email protected] to receive post-conviction services including parole notifications.

For more information about the Georgia Parole Board and the parole process visit https://pap.georgia.gov/ or contact [email protected].