Record Number of Advocates to Fill the Halls of the Virginia General Assembly in Support of Criminal Justice Reform

ARLINGTON, VA -- Justice Forward Virginia is thrilled to announce a record turnout for its 2020 Justice Reform Lobby Day and Defenders’ Day of Action, scheduled for January 17, 2020 in Richmond, VA. Over 100 volunteer advocates from across the Commonwealth have signed up to participate in the largest single day for legislative advocacy in the history of Virginia’s burgeoning criminal justice reform movement.

“The response to our call to action has been unbelievable,” said Brad Haywood, Executive Director for Justice Forward. “We’ve seen steady progress in the reform community over the past two years, but if lobby day is any indication, 2020 will exceed all expectations. This year, we hope to end the trial penalty, modernize Virginia’s discovery rules, and eliminate unnecessary pretrial detention. By committing to these simple, common-sense, bipartisan initiatives, Virginia will be well on the way to a more humane, just and effective criminal justice system; one that protects the right to a fair trial and affords second-chances to deserving defendants, all while ensuring the safety of the community.”

This impressive collection of volunteer advocates, including dozens of public defenders, will be coming from all corners of the Commonwealth, with some traveling from as far away as Smyth County to meet with their legislators. For many—notably the public defenders—January 17 is a paid state holiday, meaning they could spend the day comfortably at home or on vacation. Instead, they are choosing to spend the day fighting for what they know to be urgent and imperative: reforming Virginia’s criminal justice system and taking a big step toward that goal during this legislative session. 

The bills that Justice Forward Virginia and its partners, the National Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys (NACDL) and the Virginia Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys (VACDL), will be lobbying in support of on January 17th include:

  • HB 100 / SB 325 – Voir Dire Examination Reform

  • HB 279 / SB 326 – Leniency in Jury Sentencing

  • HB 820 – Requires Counsel During Bail Hearings

  • HB 824 – Improving Ex Parte Funding Requests

  • HB 871 / SB 805 – Degrees of Robbery

  • HB 873 / SB 775 – Requirements for Discovery

  • HB 922 / SB 723 – Pretrial Data Collection

  • HB 1035 / SB 803 – Prosecutor Funding Reform

  • HB 1153 – Duty to Provide Discovery

  • HB 1461 – Limits Power to Hold Someone on Bail

  • HB 1462 – Presumption of Bail

  • HJ 48 – Study on Mandatory Minimums

Descriptions of these and other bills we support are available at JusticeForwardVA.com/bills. Justice Forward Virginia plans to share information about these bills with every legislative office and have already scheduled in-person meetings with nearly 80 offices. Following this lobby day, Justice Forward and its partners will actively be tracking legislation and providing updates to supporters.

EventsBrad Haywood