CHARLESTON - In 1988, Joanna Katz, then
19, endured the horror of being abducted at gunpoint by five
men, then being raped, beaten and tortured. After that, the
nightmare just seemed to continue.
The men were
convicted and sentenced to up to 35 years in
prison.
But when they later became eligible for parole,
Katz was forced to relive the horror several times a year and
travel hundreds of miles to Columbia each year to keep the
perpetrators behind bars.
"After the conviction, it is
not over - it is not the end of the story," said Katz who on
Wednesday sat next to Gov. Mark Sanford as he held a public
signing ceremony for the law making it easier for victims of
violent crime to give testimony at parole hearings.
The law requires parole hearings be
held the same day if there is more than one perpetrator
convicted of a crime against the same victim. It also will
allow victims to provide testimony over closed-circuit
television, so they don't have to make multiple trips to
Columbia for parole hearings.
"I know now that in the
United States, we now have one state that has stepped up to
the plate, stepped forward and said we will do something about
it," said Katz, who helped push for the changes in state
law.
Katz' story was chronicled earlier this year in
the documentary film "Sentencing the Victim," which was
telecast as part of the Independent Lens series on the Public
Broadcasting System.
It described the crime and the
anguish Katz suffered opposing parole for the five men. Under
the old law, Katz and others opposing parole in similar
situations, were required to relive the trauma several times a
year and travel to Columbia to attend hearings.
"For
all of you who kept telling me how important it was I come
forward and tell my story - and as hard as it had been - I
appreciate all of the kind words, thoughts and encouragement,"
she said.
The new law means victims will never have to
oppose parole more than once every two years.
Victims
also will be able to testify for parole hearings via
closed-circuit television. Trident Technical College will be
the first of three sites that will offer the teleconferencing
technology.
"We're here today because of Joanna Katz,"
Sanford said. "This bill to me is all about Joanna Katz and
her personal determination in carrying this
through."
The governor said the measure in part is
about making government more efficient and more responsive to
victims. But, he said, there is also a deeper
purpose.
"Joanna deserves a tremendous amount of credit
because this bill is being signed into law not only because of
her determination, but also because of the way she chose to
make good of evil," the governor said.
The bill was
officially signed earlier and took effect last
month.
