Over 1500 Have Signed A Petition Against MRRJ Expansion--Update On What You Can Do Today

The Middle River Regional Authority has delayed its final decision about asking the state for money for jail expansion.

Here's the link to the petition, which reads as follows:

"We, as citizens of Rockingham and Augusta Counties and the cities of Harrisonburg, Staunton and Waynesboro, oppose spending millions to build more jail space at Middle River Regional Jail and propose that these dollars be invested in creating community based programs and policies proven to reduce incarceration."

Here's a link to the MRRJ website.

Call to Action from Communities Against Middle River Jail Expansion

Send a comment to the Harrisonburg City Council, whose members have already expressed opposition

Email  Staunton City Council or leave a voicemail at 540-332-3810  TODAY!  
Send a comment TODAY to the Waynesboro City Council

Email the Rockingham County Board of Supervisors  TODAY!  
Email the Augusta County Board of Supervisors TODAY!

Rather than promoting spending millions on jail expansion, what I wish we could hear from Superintendent Newton and others on the MRRJ Regional Board would be something like, "Please stop sending us ever more people who are not a danger to the community but whose primary needs are for addiction and mental health treatment. Jails and prisons are not good places to offer services best provided in your community. And don't send us more people who can do well in the kinds of work release programs we've been offering successfully for years without adding any significant danger to the community. Set up more of your own systems for supervised work release to enable ever more non-violent offenders to remain employed while they await trial and/or who are having to make child support payments and pay off their court fees and fines."  - Harvey Yoder

This post was updated February 9, 2021.