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Video Gallery: Victims/Survivors
Watch testimonials from victims/survivors about their decisions to participate in the parole process, their experiences at the hearing, their advice for other victims/survivors, and their thoughts on honoring their loved ones.
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Victims/survivors have different perspectives on the parole hearing process. The opinions shared here by each victim/survivor are their own, and are not intended to represent the views of PJW, the Board, or other victims/survivors.
Any victim/survivor wishing to share their story may do so here.
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Deciding Whether to Participate
Kyla: “You should absolutely do what is best for you…”
Kathleen: "“I have always taken every opportunity to witness to the community…but to also be Ian's mom…”
Frances: "“I honestly wanted to make sure that…he would never be released again…”
Trino: “I think I had questions that only he could answer…”
Kyla: “Were the victims harmed? Of course they were harmed. The victim doesn't have to show up for that to be known and understood…”
Kathleen: “I wanted the one person that was involved in this with me...to tell me she was sorry…”
Kyla: “I don't know if I would attend a parole hearing…”
Frances: “It was an absolute shock and the worst rollercoaster ride…”
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Preparing to Participate
Kathleen: “Find your why…”
Frances: “Be persistent because persistence pays off…”
Kathleen: “Don’t be afraid to ask the questions…”
Kathleen: “Take care of yourself…have a plan…”
Trino: “Give yourself a lot of self-care…come however you feel...”
Frances: “Reach out and ask because the services are there…”
Kathleen: "If I can help someone else going through this process...I want to do that..."
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Knowing What to Expect
Kyla: “The hearing itself is really focused on the person who committed the crime…”
Frances: “I was surprised to see how much it really is all about him…”
Trino: “The hearing is more about the person responsible…”
Frances/Trino/Kyla: “They speak in great detail of the crime…”
Kathleen: “Justice and the law are two very different things…”
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Victim Impact Statements
Kathleen: “It was very important for me that people hear my side, even if it didn't…make a difference on the outcome…”
Trino: "There's really no pressure..."
Kathleen: “I think that it helps you as the victim to have that voice that last time…”
Trino: “Whatever we say, it’s not going to tip the scale…”
Kyla: “It’s never really up to us…”
Frances: “I was expected by my family to read this horrible, very damning statement… but I was torn, I didn't want to…”
Kathleen: “She took multiple lives that day… so it was important to me to state what it was like, my life now…”
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Attending the Hearing
Kathleen: “She still had no accountability for what she did. She didn't get it, and that hurt again…”
Frances: “Listening to him and how he had corrected his behavior and how he was really trying…it took me to a different place…”
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Emotional Experiences
Kyla: “You are so entitled to feel how you want…it's never truly over...”
Kathleen: “I wish I could be totally forgiving. I can't.…”
Frances: “Give yourself the grace to be able to change your mind…”
Kyla: "My feelings and my pain is what it is no matter what he's done in prison..."
Trino/Frances: “The pressure that I underwent is…more the family dynamics…”
Trino: “I had to process because…I didn’t want to live in this negative space…”
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Honoring Loved Ones
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Watch victims/survivors share thoughts honoring their loved ones.
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Victim/Survivor Stories
[COMING SOON]
Watch victims/survivors share more fully about their personal journeys.
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Share Your Story.
We will continue to add to this Video Gallery as more people share their stories with us.
We welcome any victim/survivor to share their story with our community.