DEFENDERS: Want to tell us about the unjust criminal laws and procedures that harm the people you represent? Join our Indigent Defender Statewide Call on Tuesday, November 4th at 11:00 AM to workshop criminal legal reforms together. Public defenders, other indigent defenders, and court appointed attorneys register here: bit.ly/VaDefenderCall

In 2017, a handful of Virginia public defenders banded together from different jurisdictions with first-hand stories of the arcane criminal laws and procedures that harm the people they represent in the various courthouses where they practice, and Justice Forward Virginia was founded. We quickly found a niche in legislative advocacy as subject matter experts who knew the unique ways in which Virginia’s criminal laws were unjust, helping to draft and advocate for so many reforms and, of them, Virginia successfully:

legalized marijuana possession
abolished the death penalty
repealed mandatory jury sentencing
repealed the “habitual drunkard” law
repealed petit larceny third
created “degrees” of robbery that reflect the seriousness of the crime
made it so that indigent defendants could obtain expert assistance without disclosing trial strategy to their adversary
created a record-sealing process for convictions up to Class 5 felonies
ended presumptions against bail
reformed probation laws by placing limits on how long a person can be incarcerated for so-called technical violations of probation
ended racist pretext stops—the first state in the entire country
barred police searches based solely on the odor of marijuana.
increased compensation for court appointed counsel
banned youth shackling
reformed PB-15s
opposed harmful legislation
protected our progress
and more

There’s more to accomplish to restore justice to our communities and courthouses, join us. Looking forward to having you on the call!

Register Here