Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, June 14, 1994 TAG: 9406140374
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Laurence Hammack
DATELINE: LENGTH: Short
Ron Angelone, who was appointed in May by Gov. George Allen to oversee the state's prisons, will be at the Roanoke Airport Marriott at 7 p.m.
The forum - the first of four to be held across the state - is believed to be the first time the Department of Corrections director has held such a meeting for crime victims to express concerns and ask questions.
Although the forums are not directly linked to Allen's proposal to abolish parole in Virginia, "it's certainly consistent with the thinking" of the plan, said Ben Hawkins, Angelone's executive assistant.
"A lot of the guys in prison get out, and then go out and create more victims," Hawkins said.
In recent years, Hawkins said, victims of crime have received more recognition from the criminal justice system, in part because of victims' rights groups. "I think people are just becoming more sensitive to the plight of victims," he said.
If nothing else, the forums are hoped to give the public a better understanding of the state's prison system, which has no control over the length of sentences for criminals or when they are released on parole.
Transportation will be provided for people who want to attend the Roanoke hearing from outlying areas. Pickup locations will be at police stations in Christiansburg, Wytheville, Martinsville and Lynchburg. For more information, call (703) 561-7050.
|- LAURENCE HAMMACK
by CNB