Marsy's Law, One Year Later: Significant Progress Reported on Crime Victims' Rights

Eighty-One Criminals Receive Maximum 15-Year Parole Denials since California Voters Passed the Comprehensive Crime Victims’ Bill of Rights

• Press Release
• Source: MarsysLawForAll
• On 10:32 am EST, Wednesday November 4, 2009

ALISO VIEJO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In the year since Marsy’s Law was passed by California voters on Nov. 4, 2008, the new Crime Victims’ Bill of Rights has significantly improved victims’ rights in the state, but more education is needed in the legal community to ensure that the law is implemented and followed.

As a result of provisions in Marsy’s Law, 81 criminals have received new maximum 15-year parole denials and an additional 393 convicted felons have been denied parole for seven to 10 years, according to the Crime Victims Action Alliance web site. Prior to Marsy’s Law, parole hearings were denied for a maximum of five years, with most ranging between one and three years.

The new provisions have greatly eased the burden on families of victims by dramatically reducing the number of times they must attend hearings to argue against a prisoner’s release. At parole hearings families are forced to undergo the emotional anguish of reliving the crime, and, for many, the frequent hearings create financial hardships as well. For the state, longer parole denials have meant significant cost savings to taxpayers.

“Because of Marsy’s Law, I was afforded liberties that I have not seen in any of the previous parole hearings I’ve attended for other crime victims,” said Justice for Homicide Victims member Arnold Heilemann. His son’s murderer received the maximum 15-year parole denial on Jan. 5, 2009. “It will be a long time before we have to relive the agony of another parole hearing, but we must remain vigilant that Marsy’s Law does not become a law that can be ignored.”

The California District Attorneys Association has trained District Attorneys across the state to ensure that crime victims are aware of and fully understand their Marsy’s Rights. Implementation materials can be found on the organization’s web site. The office of the California Attorney General lists resources on its web site, including the Marsy’s Law card that officers are required to provide any citizen affected by crime. All major California District Attorneys, including Los Angeles, Orange County, Riverside County, San Diego, and San Francisco prominently address Marsy’s Law resources on their web sites.

“Marsy’s Law has exceeded our expectations in achieving crime victims’ rights in our judicial system, but we must continue to educate the legal community to ensure all of the Law’s requirements are completely enforced,” said Marsy’s Law co-author and Broadcom founder, Dr. Henry Nicholas, III. “With MarsysLawForAll, the movement that has grown out of the Marsy’s Law campaign, we will continue to help unify the victims’ rights movement through new technologies until all crime victims are afforded the same rights.”

Marsy’s Law was named for Dr. Nicholas’ sister, who was murdered in 1983 by a stalker ex-boyfriend.

About MarsysLawForAll

MarsysLawForAll is focused on expanding the constitutional rights of crime victims nationwide and supporting the use of new technologies to help unify geographically-dispersed grass-roots organizations. Its new Web site, www.MarsysLawForAll.org, aims to enable the victims’ rights movement to reach new members and promote the eventual passage of a U.S. Constitutional Amendment.

MarsysLawForAll
Erika Torres, 714-552-5144