We believe in second chances and a just future for everyone. The goal of any true system of justice must be restoration and reintegration — not perpetual pariahdom and second class citizenship. Our criminal legal system has headed fullsteam in the wrong direction for decades. Locking up more people and keeping them locked up for longer doesn’t make our communities safer.

On February 3, 2020, Delegate Don L. Scott accepted amendments to HB-1532 in the house Committee for Courts of Justice that gutted his proposal to reduce incredibly punitive and counterproductive sentences in Virginia.

These expansive carve outs were not the product of meaningful debate, informed by research, or based on evidence. instead , they were driven by fear and bias — or a crass political decision designed to secure the rights of some on the backs of others. This replicates the othering and dehumanization that has defined the failed approach to creating safer communities of the tough on crime era. Ironically, the two classes of crimes with the lowest recidivism rates have been excluded from the amended version of this bill.

The new majority leading the general assembly was elected to chart a new direction for criminal justice reform grounded in the universal values of equality, dignity, and opportunity — not to repeat the mistakes of the past. If this bill is passed in its amended state, you will enshrine discrimination in the Virginia Code.

Restore HB-1532 to its original state!

Work with us over the next year to build a stronger coalition that will successfully change Virginia’s sentencing laws for everyone in 2021.