Get Informed About Criminal Justice Reform: Youth Shackling

The criminal legal system harms people and communities. It criminalizes race, poverty, mental health, substance use, and disabilities. The obstacles to criminal legal reform often seem insurmountable—entire institutions exist just to preserve the status quo and they have a great deal of influence over legislation. Justice Forward Virginia was founded by public defenders, our leadership team sees injustice first-hand and knows there’s a smarter approach. We are really revved up to get you equipped to join our movement as effective volunteer advocates in the upcoming 2025 Virginia General Assembly Legislative Session slated for January. 

That's why we're hosting a series of virtual expert panels: Get Informed About Criminal Justice Reform.The first of our four-part virtual Facebook Live events kicks off on Wednesday, November 13 from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and focuses on Youth Shackling. Did you know that Virginia allows the indiscriminate shackling of children in courts throughout the Commonwealth? They most certainly do, kids are forced to appear weighed down by handcuffs, leg irons, and belly chains—a practice that is painful, traumatizing, inconsistent with the rehabilitative goals of the juvenile legal system, and prohibited by at least 39 other states.
  

We’ll be joined by a number of subject matter experts—Amy Borror the Senior Youth Policy Strategist for The Gault Center, LaKeisha Cook the Co-Executive Director of Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy, Valerie Slater the Executive Director of RISE For Youth, and Lacey Parker the Deputy Public Defender for Charlottesville and Albemarle—to assist us in discussing why Virginia lawmakers must take immediate action to prohibit the indiscriminate shackling of children and advocate for fairness, due process rights, and our children’s well-being at all times—including while they are appearing in court.

We'll be following up soon with a lengthy list of our Legislative Priorities for 2025 and with more information about our remaining series issue areas, but in the meantime we look forward to seeing you online on Wednesday November 13.