For the past twenty-one years, Lisa has put the trauma of her father’s brutal murder behind her and has built a happy, stable life for herself. Suddenly, all that is in jeopardy when she receives a letter from the Parole Board of Canada. Despite a sentence of Life Imprisonment, Lisa learns that her father’s killer is able to begin the parole process well before he reaches the twenty-five-year eligibility mark. She needs to prepare a Victim Impact Statement and brace herself to see her father’s killer again.
Lisa is shocked when a lawyer at the Panel Hearing introduces her by her full name, not once, but twice in front of the man who mercilessly killed her father. She realizes that she now faces an even greater challenge: the assertion of her rights versus the rights of the man who axed her father to death. And, with ever-present obstacles from the Parole Board in her path, she knows that she won’t just need a strong resolve to face her father’s killer, but an equally strong one to fight the Parole Board.
Lisa Freeman’s moving and unforgettable story tells how she navigated through the daunting policies of the Parole Board of Canada and tells of a promise between sisters and the fulfillment of a last wish. With ingenuity and tenacity, she is steadfast in her determination to make sure that the Parole Board not only hears the voice of the man who killed her father, but that her father’s voice, through hers, will be heard even louder.
She Won't Be Silenced: A True Story
Lisa Freeman's passionate efforts to bring reasonable change to the Policies and Procedures of the Parole Board of Canada has inadvertently led her to be an outspoken advocate of Victim's Rights. Her story has been widely shared in newspapers across Canada and her battle with the Parole Board has led to front page coverage by the Toronto Sun. She has been a guest multiple times on CBC radio and television, as well as Newstalk Radio 1010 Toronto, and Matt Galloway's Radio One Morning show.
Lisa is a regular speaker at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology and has spoken at various Durham Victim Services events. She remains unwavering in her stance that the rights of victims of crime should be equal to or greater than the rights of offenders. She works in the Long-Term Health Care sector and lives in the Greater Toronto Area with her husband, two daughters, and Whiskey their German Shepherd.