Leslie Van Houten Parole Hearing Van Houten parole will be reconsidered next year Van Houten said she has learned to live with her crimes "the best way I know how." Leslie Van Houten, once part of the notorious "family" of Charles Manson, was denied parole by a California parole board today, but was visibly pleased that the board will consider her parole again next year. Parole boards have typically staggered hearings for Van Houten every two years. "No one at 48 is the same as they were at 19," said Van Houten in today's hearing. "I will live with that forever and I have learned to live with it in the best way I know how." [background report on Leslie Van Houten] But the board praised her for her study in prison -- she has gotten college degrees and studied computer skills -- as well as her progress in therapy and her spotless disciplinary record for the past 22 years. On her subordinate relationship with Charles Manson: "I worked very hard in my therapy to understand that relationship and move on from it." She also discussed her possible plans if she is ever paroled. Two jobs await her if she is released, she said, one making costumes for a ballet company and one working at a fabric store, probably for minimum wage. "It would be a humble job that i feel would suit me," she said. Watch the State argue against Leslie Van Houten. Download Realplayer She also said that her mother is getting older and that she would want to take care of her. The board examined a letter from Van Houten's father, who told them, "Your last report said Leslie was a danger to society. Shame on you." "Your dad is impatient for you to get out?" asked one board member. "Yes, he is," she responded tearfully. But also present at the hearing in Frontera, CA was Los Angeles assistant district attorney Stephen Kay, who has attended every parole hearing for Manson family members. MANSON PAROLE HEARING Charles Manson speaks at his most recent parole hearing. Van Houten was an "active participant" in "two of the most senseless, senseless murders, I think, in the history of American crime," he said as he recounted the details of the 1969 murders of Leno and Rosemary La Bianca. Kay also pointed to a recent psychiatric report on Van Houten that praised her improvement but noted that she has an unusual need to bend to authority. "She flourished under evil outside the prison fences under manson and she has flourished here," said Kay. "The psychiatric expert could give us some assurance that this process has been completed...that she could stand on her own and resist evil." View the board's announcement. Download Realplayer "She's headed in the right direction, clearly, clearly, he said." He also remarked on portions of the report that examined Van Houten's apparent anorexia, stating that it might be a symptom of anger turned inward. "When I see somebody with anorexia, my tendancy is to feel sorry for the person," said Kay. "The doctor talks about...how Ms. Van Houten has starved herself to basically suppress her anger."deal with anger Watch the background report. Download Realplayer Though her parole was denied, Van Houten seemed elated by the board's announcement that her next hearing -- one year away -- would be in only half the time usually set between her parole hearings. top of page