Fayette area law enforcement agencies are offering crime victims a chance to air their plight.

The State Board of Pardons and Paroles' Griffin Parole Office and the Victim/Witness Assistance Programs of the Flint and Griffin Judicial Circuit district attorney's offices are sponsoring a victims' rights symposium in observance of National Crime Victims' Rights Week.

The symposium will be next Thursday, April 29, at 7 p.m. at the Griffin Technical Institute auditorium on Varsity Road in Griffin.

The event is designed to bring focus to the plight of crime victims and to empower victims by informing them of their rights, said parole office spokesman Roger Mayo.

Speaking at the ceremony will be Brenda Muhammed, Metropolitan Atlanta Crime Commission's Victim/Witness Assistance Program; Gordon and Elaine Rondeau, victims of crime and activists for victims' rights; Pamela Lightsey, victim/witness specialist with the U.S. Attorney's office for the Middle District of Georgia; Dee Bell, project manager for restorative justice, State Board of Pardons and Paroles; and Gerald Durley, Ph.D., Providence Missionary Baptist Church.

National Crime Victims' Rights Week is April 25 through May 1. This year's theme is "Victims' Voices: Silent No More."

During the week, all of the 52 parole offices serving Georgia communities will be involved in activities demonstrating their support for victims.

The Board of Pardons and Paroles needs the input of crime victims in the parole decision process, said Parole Board Chairman Walter Ray. "It is imperative that victims communicate the emotional, physical and financial costs they have suffered at the hands of a criminal by filing a victim impact statement," he added.

This can be done by visiting the office personally, calling the board toll-free, writing a letter or using the board's Web site to e-mail the statement. According to Ray, "A victim's voice will always be heard above all others ­ that is the pledge of this board."