I read with interest Ronald Fraser’s letter to the editor on parole hearings (”Should victim testimony count in parole hearings?” Jan. 29). In 1989, Vincent Oliver Hamilton murdered my brother, Kelly James Nance. After Mr. Hamilton’s conviction and becoming parole eligible, my mother and I attended three parole hearings. During the first two, Mr. Hamilton kept stating his innocence and was denied parole. At his last chance for parole, he finally admitted committing the murder, but blamed his crime on the actions of my brother. He was again denied parole, and ended up serving the full term that he was sentenced to (only 11 years, but that travesty is for another day).
My reasons for commenting on Mr. Fraser’s letter are twofold. First, the worst part of parole hearings is how victims and their families are faced with being in the same room with the one who did them harm. Psychologically, this is a very tough ordeal and not for the weak, especially in a murder case. This is something that Mr. Fraser does not address.
Second, the rehabilitation of the offender is an important factor, but the rights of the victims and the victims’ families should not be lessened. Obviously, my family will never be whole. My nieces and nephews have never met their uncle, who thus far, was not at 31 years worth of holiday gatherings. And then there is my mother who never saw her son again. Though these facts do get repeated at every parole hearing, that does not make them easier to contemplate.
I favor determinate sentencing as the solution, like in the federal system. I believe that an offender should serve 85% of his sentence before being released. This saves the victims and their families the pain of being in the same room with the criminal (especially with violent offenses) and gives the offender the incentive of rehabilitation in order to be released when they have served 85% of their sentence. Judges would have to adjust their sentences to account for this change, but I do believe that a lot of issues would be resolved.
Kevin Blackwell, Halethorpe
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