Mark Millican
markmillican@daltoncitizen.com
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Gale Buckner said some victims of violent crime want to know if the perpetrators are sorry for what they did, while others could care less because the pain of the loss of their loved one overwhelms them.
“I just talked with a gentleman this morning who was very sincere in saying he hoped that his offender had turned his life over to the Lord, and it was a very violent crime the offender was charged with,” Buckner said during Victims Visitors’ Day at the Whitfield County Courthouse on Tuesday. “Some victims, though, don’t care if they’ve shown any remorse or not. The damage that’s been done in their lives and in their families — whether that offender shows any remorse doesn’t give them any peace one way or another. So each victim is so individual it’s different in what they need to do to be able to go forward in life.”
Still, each victim and members of the victim’s family had an opportunity to speak to one of the five members of the Atlanta-based State Board of Pardons and Paroles, which co-sponsored the day-long session with the Victim-Witness Assistance Program of the Conasauga Judicial Circuit (Whitfield and Murray counties).
Buckner, a Murray County native who began her career with the Chatsworth Police Department and served 24 years as a special agent with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, said the state board has partnered with judicial districts across the state to host the victims’ day.
“It’s where we allow and we invite and we encourage victims, particularly of violent crimes, or their family members, to come in and meet with board members (and) board staff to ask any questions they may have about the offender that’s incarcerated or to give us their input — anything they want to make sure we know so when we make a decision regarding release and conditions upon parole we have that (information) to consider,” she said. “This is something special that we do, and it makes for a very long emotional day, but it’s very rewarding for us and we hope it helps to restore victims and helps give a new sense of moving forward as well.”
Buckner said some of the questions victims ask of the board and staff include when an offender will be released and if the victim will be notified of the date. Other questions include: Have they been a model prisoner? Have they gotten into trouble while they’ve been in prison? Where are they going to move to when they come out? How can I make sure they stay away from me and don’t retaliate against me? Have they expressed any sort of remorse while they were in prison? Have they ever said anything about me?
Buckner said staff members can show victims, through accessing their computer, where the offenders in their cases are serving at any time during their sentence.
“(Victims) can call us, they can fax us, write us, they can e-mail us at any time with any questions they have or any input that they want to make sure is in that file,” she said. “And anything they put in that file is totally confidential. The offender does not have access to that information.”
Buckner said victims are also urged to send photos to the board of their loved one who passed away during a crime — or even injury photos of a surviving victim that were taken just after the crime so they can look at them while considering an offender’s release.
Victims of crime may contact the Conasauga Circuit District Attorney’s Victim Assistance Office at (706) 876-1322. The state Office of Victim Services may be reached at (404) 651-6668; their fax number is (404) 651-8502. The Pardons and Paroles board website is www.pap.state.ga.us.
