Daughter of Murder Victims Speaks Out on Prison Reform Bills
By: Lauren Trager, KARK 4 News
Updated: February 20, 2013
One hot topic at the Capitol this year is reform of Arkansas' parole system.
Tuesday, a woman whose parents were murdered in Arkansas was speaking out about why she thinks prison reform bills are so needed in Arkansas.
We sat down with Bilenda Harris-Ritter, whose family was forever changed 30 years ago when a man with a proven violent past walked onto her father's property in Stone County.
"He shot my dad in the back and my stepmother, heard the shot and ran out and as she knelt over the body, he shot her," said Harris-Ritter.
Francis Holland has been behind bars nearly ever since he took Harris-Ritter's father and stepmother from her and her sisters and in the decades that he's been in prison she has fought to keep him there and keep other violent offenders there too.
She even served on the parole board in California for a time.
But she's back in Arkansas now and very closely watching a series of bills dealing with the parole system here.
"Instead of just being horrified each time some hideous crime happens, do something to keep it from happening to more people," she said.
Harris-Ritter says she wants there to be a focus on rehabilitation but an acknowledgement that some people will do bad things once they get out of prison again. We'll keep you updated on how those bills progress.
Tuesday, a woman whose parents were murdered in Arkansas was speaking out about why she thinks prison reform bills are so needed in Arkansas.
We sat down with Bilenda Harris-Ritter, whose family was forever changed 30 years ago when a man with a proven violent past walked onto her father's property in Stone County.
"He shot my dad in the back and my stepmother, heard the shot and ran out and as she knelt over the body, he shot her," said Harris-Ritter.
Francis Holland has been behind bars nearly ever since he took Harris-Ritter's father and stepmother from her and her sisters and in the decades that he's been in prison she has fought to keep him there and keep other violent offenders there too.
She even served on the parole board in California for a time.
But she's back in Arkansas now and very closely watching a series of bills dealing with the parole system here.
"Instead of just being horrified each time some hideous crime happens, do something to keep it from happening to more people," she said.
Harris-Ritter says she wants there to be a focus on rehabilitation but an acknowledgement that some people will do bad things once they get out of prison again. We'll keep you updated on how those bills progress.
