Bail Reform Happy Hour, Dec. 12, 2018

Join Justice Forward Virginia, the Arlington Criminal Defense Lawyers (ACDL), Virginia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (VACDL), and Delegates Marcus Simon and Alfonso Lopez on Dec. 12, 2018 from 5:30-8pm for a Bail Reform Happy Hour at Clare and Dons Beach Shack in Falls Church, VA.

Why a "Bail Reform Happy Hour," you ask? Well, after decades of being stuck in the mud, it is remarkable to see how criminal justice reform has captured the attention of the Virginia General Assembly. For the second year in a row, an appetite is there for bringing Virginia’s criminal courts out of the dark ages. At the top of this year’s reform agenda appears to be bail reform -- ending the practice of locking people up pre-trial simply because they're too poor to pay their way out of jail. This issue has also garnered considerable media coverage in Arlington and the City of Falls Church.

Justice Forward has joined the call to end cash bail. We also believe that bail reform should serve as a model for how advocates and allies can come together to fix many other aspects of our broken justice system. So we’re having a Bail Reform Happy Hour to tell you all about it.

In addition to the delegates, Steve Descano, candidate for Commonwealth’s Attorney in Fairfax County, will be joining us to discuss the role of prosecutors in shaping criminal justice policy, including bail policy, at the local and legislative levels. And we’ll also have plenty of information about Justice Forward’s other justice reform priorities, including telling juries the truth about sentencing, fairer trials for poor defendants, and ending felony prosecution for all marijuana possession offenses. Our special guests and speakers, Del. Marcus Simon and Del. Alfonso Lopez, are joining us to give you a lens into the state of bail reform and justice reform in the legislature, and help mobilize you to make a difference. 

RSVP on the Facebook event page, which can be found here. We hope you can make it!