Repeal Mandatory Minimums in VA - Sign the Petition

In early December 2020, FAMM, in conjunction with Justice Forward Virginia, the Ladies of Hope Ministries, and Americans for Prosperity Virginia, announced their commitment to lobby to repeal mandatory minimum sentences in Virginia during the 2021 Virginia General Assembly legislative session. Virginia has over 200 mandatory minimum sentences that require judges to impose minimum prison terms without considering the circumstances of each case, the needs of a defendant or role a specific person played.

Harsh sentences do not make us safer. In fact, since 2008, over 30 states have reformed mandatory minimum sentencing laws. These states have seen not only a reduction in prison population, but a reduction in crime rates as well. Virginia’s “one size fits all” sentencing approach has not proven to increase public safety, rather these laws have become a primary driver for mass incarceration—disproportionately impacting Black and brown Virginians.

Virginia is soon to become an outlier state, as the movement to end mandatory minimums trends countrywide. We have a lot to do as a community of advocates, but as a first step we are asking you to add your name to our collective petition in support of repealing mandatory minimums. Additionally, if you or someone you know has been impacted by Virginia’s mandatory sentencing laws, please leave a note in the petition about your experience in the space provided.