The Third Department, in a full-fledged opinion by Justice Mulvey, over a concurrence and a dissent, determined that the wife of a police officer murdered in 1971 did not, as a crime victim, have standing to bring an Article 78 proceeding challenging the release on parole of Herman Bell, who was convicted of the murder. Crime victims do not have standing to challenge parole determinations:
As noted by one court that has previously addressed the issue before us: “While a relative of a crime victim may be more emotionally affected by the crime than a member of the general public, that increased emotional effect is not sufficient to confer standing. While statutes have been enacted to permit crime victims the right to be heard at certain proceedings (see [CPL] 380.50), their status as crime victims has not been held to confer standing to them at any proceeding. Executive Law § 259[-]i sets forth the procedures to be followed by the [B]oard of [P]arole. Executive Law § 259[-]i (2) (c) (A) provides that when considering whether or not to grant discretionary parole release, the [B]oard must consider ‘any statement made to the [B]oard by the crime victim or the crime victim’s representative where the crime victim is deceased[.]’ The statute does not authorize any further participation in the process by a crime victim or the representative of a victim. It does not serve to confer standing to a victim who desires to challenge the determination. While the [c]ourt does not question whether the families of the victims of crime continue to suffer real emotional effects, there has not been a showing of any legal right that is affected by the determination which they seek to challenge” … . Matter of Piagentini v New York State Bd. of Parole, 2019 NY Slip Op 06229, Third Dept 8-22-19