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| This was published Friday as the twelfth of the Valley Justice Coalition's monthly Justice Matters columns in the Daily News-Record |
So far, over 300 concerned Virginia taxpayers, mostly from our local community, have signed the Valley Justice Coalition petition as introduced in our October Justice Matters column, as follows:
A Petition in Support of Safer and More Just Communities:
To: Public servants in Virginia involved in criminal justice issues
By: Concerned taxpayers of the Commonwealth who favor the creation of an ever more just and effective criminal justice system, one that supports:
• Rehabilitation over mere punishment.
• Restorative justice alternatives that give high priority to victims' needs for reparation and restitution by offenders.
• Supervised release for aging and thoroughly rehabilitated persons behind bars.
To date we have sent copies of the above, accompanied by the entire list of names, to Senator Mark Obenshain, Delegate Tony Wilt, Commonwealth’s Attorney Marsha Garst, County Administrator Corey Armstrong, Harrisonburg Mayor Deanna Reed, Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger, Attorney General-elect Jay Jones, newly appointed Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security Stanley Meador, and other public officials across the state.
The Valley Justice Coalition is not just about reaching out to public officials, however, but about engaging with ordinary fellow citizens who support criminal justice reforms. Nor are we about promoting any particular political party or platform, but about lending support to policies that reflect best practices in the field of criminal justice.
For example, in light of the concerns expressed in the petition, we can each let Senator Mark Obenshain and Delegate Tony Wilt know there is grass roots support for legislation in the upcoming General Assembly such as the following:
• Repeal of Mandatory Minimum Sentences. Returns to judges and juries the discretion to make sentences that are fair and in keeping with the law.
• HJ2 Constitutional Amendment: Automatically restores voting right to felons who have completed their sentences.
• Ban Fourth Amendment Plea Waivers. Individuals pressured into taking plea agreements would no longer be forced to forgo all Fourth Amendment search and seizure protections (except in child sex cases). Passed the General Assembly in 2024 but vetoed by the Governor.
• Protect People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and Mental Health Disorders. Allows a judge or jury to charge a person in an assault and battery case with a misdemeanor rather than a felony if a mental health or cognitive disorder has contributed to the assault.
• Counsel at First Appearance. Provides for an attorney to represent an accused person at his or her first court appearance.
• Consistency of Dress Code. Rules and standards regarding attire for prison visits would be the same for all facilities.
• Objective Set of Criteria for Determining Parole Eligibility. The Parole Board would be required to provide a clear explanation for any denial of a person with a high (good) score.
• Protect Family Connections. This would walk back COVID era rules, and get rid of Enhanced Sanctions that take away all communications/visits for certain violations.
• Expand Earned Sentence Credits. Time served in jails would count as well as time spent in prison.
• End Mass Surveillance. Ban the use of Automatic License Plate Readers by law enforcement agencies.
Meanwhile, we thank our community for its support, and the Daily News-Record for publishing our monthly Justice Matters columns.
May all have a blessed New Year!
Harvey Yoder
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