Whenever the murderous cult leader Charles Manson or one of his convicted followers would come up for parole over the last 40 years, a Los Angeles County prosecutor joined victims' family members to argue against the release. But a mandate from newly elected District Attorney George Gascón bars county prosecutors from opposing parole for inmates sentenced to life who have already served their mandatory minimum periods. Relatives of victims of the notorious crime family were stunned to learn they would have to make the case on behalf of their murdered relatives alone. "I had no one to speak for me," said a person whose cousin was tortured and killed by Manson followers. Gascón is among a handful of district attorneys to rethink their stances on automatically opposing parole requests — a movement that has gained momentum in the wake of the national reckoning over racial inequity. | 
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