Signers on the letter first shared with POLITICO argued that victims are not always served by the harshest punishments.

NEW YORK — Crime victims and anti-gun violence groups are backing a push to make it easier for some prisoners to be released on parole.

Groups representing victims joined with anti-violence advocates in a letter to Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, asking them to pass two bills to overhaul the parole system, as well as legislation to allow victims to qualify for compensation even if they don’t report the crime to police.

While some advocates for victims have opposed the changes, signers on the letter first shared with POLITICO argued that victims are not always served by the harshest punishments.

“Survivors are not a monolith. Survivors’ needs and beliefs about criminal justice are as varied and diverse as survivors themselves,” wrote the groups, which include the Crime Victims Treatment Center, New York State Coalition against Sexual Assault, Common Justice, and New Yorkers Against Gun Violence.

Read the original article here.