(a) Upon request, written notice of any hearing to consider the release on parole of any person under the control of the Youth Authority for the commission of a crime or committed to the authority as a person described in Section 602 shall be sent by the Department of the Youth Authority at least 30 days before the hearing to any victim of a crime committed by the person, or to the next of kin of the victim if the victim has died or is a minor. The requesting party shall keep the board apprised of his or her current mailing address.

(b) Any one of the following persons may appear, personally or by counsel, at the hearing:

(1) The victim of the offense and one support person of his or her choosing.

(2) In the event that the victim is unable to attend the proceeding, two support persons designated by the victim may attend to provide information about the impact of the crime on the victim.

(3) If the victim is no longer living, two members of the victim’s immediate family may attend.

(4) If none of those persons appear personally at the hearing, any one of them may submit a statement recorded on videotape for the board’s consideration at the hearing. Those persons shall also have the right to submit a written statement to the board at least 10 days prior to the scheduled hearing for the board’s consideration at the hearing.

(c) The board, in deciding whether to release the person on parole, shall consider the statements of victims, next of kin, or statements made on their behalf pursuant to this section and shall include in its report a statement of whether the person would pose a threat to public safety if released on parole.

(d) A representative designated by the victim or the victim’s next of kin shall be either that person’s legal counsel or a family or household member of the victim, for the purposes of this section.

(e) Support persons may only provide information about the impact of the crime on the victim and provide physical and emotional support to the victim or the victim’s family.

(f) This section does not prevent the board from excluding a victim or his or her support person or persons from a hearing. The board may allow the presence of other support persons under particular circumstances surrounding the proceeding.

(g) The provisions of this section shall not be amended by the Legislature except by statute passed in each house by rollcall vote entered in the journal, two-thirds of the membership concurring, or by a statute that becomes effective only when approved by the electors.

(Amended by Stats. 2015, Ch. 303, Sec. 570. (AB 731) Effective January 1, 2016. Note: This section was added on June 8, 1982, by initiative Prop. 8.)