In April 2015 our family’s life changed forever. Our son Travis Mills was brutally murdered. Five people were convicted of his murder & sentenced to life imprisonment with non-parole periods ranging from 13 to 24yrs. 

While those responsible were given life sentences within a defined legal process and eventually opportunities for release. Our family has been given a life sentence of a different kind. One of grief, loss and lifelong trauma. There is no release date for us. We are not a case number or a file. We are a family living with the consequences of this crime every single day. Every decision concerning the offenders forces us to relive the trauma of the worst chapter of our lives.

We have spent more than a decade trying to rebuild our lives while carrying the trauma and the lifelong consequences of this horrific crime. Currently we are faced with another devastating reality. One of those convicted of murder is eligible to participate in a reintegration socialisation program after eleven years, despite receiving a life sentence with a 13year non parole period. Like many victims’ families we believed a non-parole period meant there would be no progression towards release until that minimum term had been served. We were wrong. Learning otherwise has left us feeling blindsided.

Travis’s daughter has grown up without ever knowing the father she deserved. She is now 12 years old & everyday of her life has been shaped by the choices of those who took him from her. We have done everything to give her a safe, loving & stable home but she only knows the people we have become through the lens of grief not the family we were before it.

We believe Western Australia must do more to recognise that justice must balance the rehabilitation of offenders with the rights, safety and wellbeing of victims and their families. We are calling on the WA government, Attorney General, Corrective Services and Members of parliament to:

• • - Strengthen the rights of victims and families throughout the parole and reintegration process.
    - Ensure victims are clearly informed about offenders’ eligibility for reintegration programs and        Parole.
    - Provide appropriate support for victims and families throughout these processes.
    - Increase transparency around reintegration and parole eligibility.
    - Review legislation governing reintegration and parole to ensure the lifelong impact on victims        is properly considered.

Nothing can give Travis back and we understand the justice system must operate within the confines of the law. However, victims and families should not be repeatedly re-traumatised by the legal processes that don’t give them a meaningful voice. The impact of violent crime does not diminish with time, and neither should the consideration of those left behind.

We ask the community to stand with us in supporting reform that place victims and their families at the center of decisions that affect their lives. Victims do not get parole from grief. We do not get to escape and recover from trauma. We do not get to move on simply because a calendar has said enough time has passed.