SALT LAKE CITY – Utah’s Board of Pardons and Parole is preparing to launch the next phase of its victim notification system, adding new safety tools and giving survivors more control over how and when they receive information about parole hearings and decisions.

The changes come after the board promised to improve how it communicates with victims and survivors of crime in response to reporting by the KSL Investigators that highlighted failures to notify some victims of their perpetrators’ hearings.

The newest features of the system, MyVoice, include the ability for survivors to securely log in themselves, choose how they want to be contacted, and set “blackout dates” to avoid receiving notifications on traumatic anniversaries. The update also adds a quick-exit button that immediately signs a user out and redirects to Google, for users’ safety.

Board administrator Jennifer Yim said the improvements were built with trauma-informed principles in mind and the launch of the second phase of MyVoice is not the end, rather another step in a long-term commitment to serving victims.

“The Board of Pardons and Parole is committed to seeing this process forward, to doing everything that we can to ensure that victims’ voices are heard in this process,” she said.

Survivors and family members of victims of crime who previously experienced notification lapses under the old system — including Cami Johnson and Brenda Black — were among those invited to preview the new features on Friday. Both women played a role in shaping the features being launched now through a previous in-person meeting hosted by the board.

“It shows they’re looking at us more as humans than a statistic on a piece of paper,” Black said.

Johnson said the changes are meaningful, especially after her perpetrator was granted a release date without her knowledge in 2024, a decision that was reversed after she was able to participate in a hearing and provide input to the parole board.

“Them creating this notification system so that we’re not missed is huge,” she said. The second phase builds on changes first announced in April 2025, when the board launched the initial version of My Voice.

Prior to the new system, the board relied on an indirect process: manually searching for victim information in the state’s offender management system, then attempting to contact victims. Notifications were typically sent only by mail, and some victims reported learning their address in the board’s system had been changed by someone else without their knowledge ahead of important hearings.

Phase two of the system is set to launch in the coming weeks. After that, survivors entering the system through the conviction and prison sentence of their perpetrator will start receiving letters with secure PINs, allowing them to log on and set up their profiles.

Black believes the system will help far more people than those initially involved in the reporting. “It’s not just going to impact a handful of people,” she said. “I think it’ll impact thousands.”

The new system is optional. Any victim of crime wanting to participate in parole hearings or express preferences about notifications can reach out to the board directly at 801-261-6464.

Have you experienced something you think just isn’t right? The KSL Investigators want to help. Submit your tip at investigates@ksl.com or 385-707-6153 so we can get working for you.

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Utah Parole Board will soon launch next phase of victim notification system - KSLTV.com