AG Coakley Urges Victim Advocate Be On Parole Board

BOSTON (AP) -- Attorney General Martha Coakley is urging Gov. Deval Patrick to name a crime victim or victim advocate when he appoints new members to the Massachusetts Parole Board.

Coakley said it's critical to have a victim's voice on the board to ensure it takes a more balanced approach to granting parole.

Martha Coakley talks with WBZ's Jon Keller. Watch the entire interview Sunday at 8:30 a.m. on WBZ-TV.

Coakley told The Associated Press on Friday that a victim advocate would make sure prosecutors and crime victims are alerted when a prisoner is up for parole.

Middlesex District Attorney Gerard Leone said his office wasn't notified that career criminal Dominic Cinelli was scheduled for a parole hearing in 2008.

Police say Cinelli shot and killed Woburn Police Officer John Maguire in December.

Gov. Deval Patrick accepted the resignations of the five board members who voted to parole Cinelli.

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