Justice Forward Virginia hosts a variety of events aimed at educating and connecting with advocates as well as lobbying our state and local leaders to pursue bold, impactful, and evidence-informed reforms that will make the criminal justice system in Virginia more fair.
Join us for one of our upcoming events. When possible, after virtual events, we will post videos and materials on the event page.
Due to widespread water issues in the city of Richmond The General Assembly Building has closed until Monday January 13. Not even a pandemic stopped us from advocating evidence-informed criminal justice reforms, and neither will a temporary building closure! So with that said, we have rescheduled Justice Reform Lobby Day to Friday, January 17th, 2025!!! We hope that you'll be able to join us. If you were previously registered you’ll need to re-register. And if you weren’t registered before and would like to attend, please register!
Our virtual “Prep Rally” will get you informed about criminal justice reform legislation that will be before lawmakers in the Virginia House and Senate, and assist advocates to feel more confident in lobbying for this year’s priorities lineup. We’ve seen bold action from the Virginia General Assembly when people show them that they care, tune in on January 2nd.
Part three of our four-part series of virtual Facebook Live events focuses on Mental Health and the Criminal Legal System. Did you know that mass incarceration is the country’s de facto mental health care? Our expert panelists discuss why Virginia lawmakers must make efforts to protect and create respite for our most vulnerable populations from arrest and prosecution–keeping people out of the criminal legal system who do not belong there.
It’s back! The 2025 General Assembly Legislative Session begins in January. And in annual tradition, we’re excited to be hosting our Justice Reform Lobby Day in Richmond, Virginia on Thursday, January 9, 2024, along with the Virginia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (VACDL) and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL)! We’ll be coming together to protect and expand the progress we’ve already made to reform Virginia’s criminal legal system by advocating to prohibit youth shackling, ensuring access to record sealing, protecting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and mental health disorders, advancing urgent pretrial reforms and more. We’ll release an official list of our legislative priorities soon!
Part two of our four-part series of virtual Facebook Live events focuses on Record Sealing. Did you know that 1 in 3 Americans have a criminal record? More than 2.5 million Virginians alone. Criminal records—no matter how old or minor—can put employment, housing, education, and other basic necessities permanently out of reach. And although a record sealing law passed in Virginia in 2021 is scheduled to take effect on July 1, 2025, it is at risk. On December 4 from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. we’ll be joined by a number of subject matter experts to assist us in discussing why Virginia lawmakers must take immediate action to ensure access to record sealing. Virginia must finally make it possible for the millions of people impacted by the barriers associated with a criminal record to move on with their lives.
Did you know that Virginia allows the indiscriminate shackling of children in courts throughout the Commonwealth? The practice is painful, traumatizing, inconsistent with the rehabilitative goals of the juvenile legal system, and prohibited by at least 39 other states. Attend our expert panel to get informed and get equipped to become an effective advocate ahead of the 2025 Virginia General Assembly Legislative Session.
In annual tradition, we’re hosting our Justice Reform “Prep Rally”—to educate and mobilize advocates for action–ahead of the 2024 Virginia General Assembly Legislative Session. Our Executive Director, Rob Poggenklass, will host many of our Justice Forward Virginia policy experts live on Facebook–Thursday, January 4th from 6:30—7:30pm to discuss this year’s legislative priorities.
We’re excited to be hosting our Justice Reform Lobby Day in Richmond, Virginia on Thursday, January 11, 2024, along with the Virginia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (VACDL) and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL)! Please pre-register by Friday December 29, 2023. Please read more to link to the registration page.
Nolef Turns, Justice Forward Virginia, the Richmond Office of the Commonwealth's Attorney, and the Richmond Public Law Library present an informational workshop on Expungement in Virginia. Learn about updates to the law, taking effect July 1 of 2023, and updates that will come in 2025.
On Friday June 16, 2023 at 6:00 PM EDT, a bipartisan group of state lawmakers, advocates, and impacted people will come together at New River Community College in Richardson Auditorium in Rooker Hall–5251 State Rd 373, Dublin, Virginia–to discuss public safety and how Virginia’s criminal legal system is impacting Southwest Virginia communities and families. The event is sponsored by several Virginia organizations, American for Prosperity Virginia, Justice Forward Virginia, and SALT(Social Action Linking Together).
Join Justice Forward Virginia, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and the Virginia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers on February 8, 2023 in Richmond, Virginia. We're excited to be back together and gathering in person in Richmond this year. We’ll be speaking with legislators about preserving evidence-informed criminal justice reforms that eliminated presumptions against bail, reformed our probation system, and limited pretextual policing, among other priorities.
The Virginia General Assembly General Session is upon us. And in the annual tradition, Justice Forward Virginia is hosting its Justice Reform “Prep Rally”—to educate and mobilize advocates for action. We’re excited to have Delegate Jay Jones and Senator Jennifer Boysko join our policy experts, Rob Poggenklass and Brad Haywood on Facebook LIVE–Wednesday, January 18th at 8:00 pm
January 13th, 2022 marks the start of the Virginia General Assembly General Session. In its annual tradition, Justice Forward will host its “Prep Rally”— to better inform and mobilize advocates to effectively lobby for meaningful criminal justice reform in 2022.
The 2022 Virginia General Assembly Session starts Wednesday January 12th, and in preparation we’ll be hosting our annual Lobby Day(s) virtually. Sign up to advocate with us.
Get the 2021 Legislative Lowdown straight from some our favorite lawmakers. Join Justice Forward Virginia, Senator Jennifer McClellan, Delegate Nancy Guy, and Delegate Jeff Bourne—Monday March 22nd, 2021 at 8PM on Facebook Live.
Join us Thursday, March 11 at 7pm for our post session roundup, “I Survived Crim Sub,” a discussion about session, success, and where we go next
Lobby Day for General Session looks a little different in 2021. Join criminal justice reform advocates across the Commonwealth, virtually, to meet with legislators on several select dates. Read more and sign up for virtual lobbying January 8th, 11th, and 12th! Meet with legislators ahead of the GA’s General Session kickoff to discuss the importance of our urgent criminal justice reform legislative priorities.
Join Justice Forward Virginia January 7th in preparation for the 2021 Legislative Session at our Justice Reform “Prep” Rally—you’ll hear from legislators and policy makers leading the criminal justice reform charge. During our hour long Facebook Live, the experts will roll out priority legislation being heard in the General Assembly and how advocates can support it most effectively.
Join FAMM, Americans for Prosperity VA, Ladies of Hope Ministries, and Justice Forward Virginia, December 8th 6:30-8pm, for a virtual town hall discussion on the need to repeal Virginia’s mandatory minimum sentences. Learn and effectively take action ahead of the 2021 legislative session. Hear from state policymakers, impacted families, and advocates working to advance reform.
Still have questions about police reform as we approach the special legislative session? Tune in on August 12 from 6:30-8:00pm when we're bringing back some of the most popular guests from our "Get Informed About Police Reform" explainer series!
On August 5, join Vernida R. Chaney (President, NoVa Black Attorneys Assoc.), national justice reform expert Premal Dharia (Defender Impact Initiative) and Justice Forward's own Andy Elders for an expert panel on why mandatory minimums don't work, and why they ought to be repealed -- ALL of them, not just those applicable to nonviolent offenses.
On July 28, join Professor Julie McConnell and public defenders Brad Lindsay and Ashley Shapiro for an expert panel on why school resource officers are so problematic, and why Virginia's assault on police statute is much more controversial than the name would imply.
Part III of Justice Forward Virginia’s “explainer” series on criminal justice issues is Civilian Oversight Done Right: Transforming Policing Through Robust Civilian Review. We've assembled almost ALL of the statewide experts on this subject: Fairfax NAACP, Legal Aid Justice Center, and the Richmond Transparency and Accountability Project. Don’t miss this one!
Join us on July 15 at 6:30 for Part II of our ongoing series when experienced Virginia criminal defense attorneys will drill down on pretextual policing, and will also discuss some of the popular police reforms that do NOT work.
With police reform in the spotlight, there have been dozens of criminal justice reform events recently. Unfortunately, too few of them help laypeople understand the issues the way advocates do. We’re here to help! Join JFV, Sen. Scott Surovell and Del. Don Scott on July 7.
Leaders in civil rights and criminal justice reform joined over 80 attendees, supporting JFV’s efforts to expand, unify and mobilize a community of advocates and inspire them to action.
On January 18, 2019, fifty volunteer lobbyists braved the cold, wintry weather and a very early start to push for justice reform in the offices of the Virginia General Assembly.
Join Justice Forward Virginia, NACDL, and VACDL for our Justice Reform Lobby Day and Defenders’ Day of Action on January 18, 2019 at the Virginia General Assembly in Richmond, VA.
