Our Mission
We promote criminal justice reform in Virginia through smart, contemporary, evidence-informed policy advocacy.
Who We Are
Justice Forward Virginia is a non-partisan 501c4 advocacy group created to bring attention to the urgent need for criminal justice reform in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
We draft and advocate for criminal justice reform legislation.
We educate and engage the public to recruit and mobilize new advocates.
We welcome people from across the political spectrum who have an interest in our issues — we recognize that progressives, small-government conservatives, libertarians and others are natural allies in the movement for criminal justice reform.
The Problem
For decades criminal justice reform legislation has been blocked in the Virginia legislature. While other states have updated their laws to make them more fair and research-driven , Virginia has remained mired in the past, and has continued to pass new laws that provide every advantage to prosecutors and law enforcement while preventing defendants from receiving a fair trial.
Virginia favors secrecy over openness – Virginia was one of only 9 states with so-called “closed discovery” rules, where a defendant has no right to witness statements, witness lists, or even the police reports from their own criminal case. Although that law was updated on July 1, 2020, defendants still have no right to their own copies of these documents.
Our policies use retribution rather than rehabilitation – Virginia is one of 16 states that have abolished discretionary parole. This means that regardless of good behavior or progress a person is making, they must serve at least 85% of the time they were sentenced to. Incarcerated people in Virginia end up serving much more time than they did under the system of parole, and have virtually no incentive to rehabilitate themselves.
Virginia gives prosecutors incredible power to coerce guilty pleas, even from innocent defendants — There are more than 100 ways for a Virginia prosecutor to charge a case so it will result in a mandatory minimum sentence. More than 95% of felony convictions are obtained via a plea of guilty.
The privileged have advantages in the criminal justice systems that the poor are not able to access – Wealthy individuals can await trial while out on bail, can pay attorneys who have time to fully investigate their cases, and can hire experts to appear on their behalf if their case makes it to trial. Many disadvantaged people feel forced to take a plea so that they don’t have to await trial in jail, and their prospects are worse due to the limited amount of time a court appointed lawyer has to devote to their cases and the red tape involved in hiring experts to provide testimony.
The law favors the government over the individual – Because of their influence in state legislatures, Commonwealth’s Attorneys end up having both the role of prosecutor as well as policymaker and implementer, so it’s not surprising that in many jurisdictions policies are written to advantage the state.
These imbalances must be addressed in order to achieve to meaningful change.
Our Approach
There's a reason that "the scales of justice" is such an apt metaphor in criminal courts; fairness is a balancing act, one that requires weighing judgment against mercy, and the enforcement of laws against the protection of individual rights. Maintaining that balance is the touchstone of a fair justice system. Justice Forward Virginia is a part of a broader criminal justice reform movement that is working to restore balance to the scales of justice in the Commonwealth. Three of the major reasons why Virginia lags most states when it comes to criminal justice policy are:
A “tough on crime” approach that gained traction in the 90s resulted in unfair laws and policies
Criminal justice reform legislation has been blocked before bills could be voted on by the legislature for decades, so few changes have been made to these out of date laws
A powerful prosecutors lobby, which includes full-time lobbyists, went unchallenged by an equivalent group that advocated on behalf of defendants
Justice Forward Virginia is addressing these factors by:
Advocating for Legislation
As subject matter experts, JFV has sought to counter the agenda of the “law and order,” “tough on crime” lobby to ensure that legislators understand the real impact of proposed legislation. We worked with legislators to draft legislation on topics such as eliminating mandatory minimum sentences, modernizing discovery rules, limiting mass probation supervision, and ending presumptions against bail. In January 2020, over 100 volunteers attended our Justice Reform Lobby Day and Defenders’ Day of Action. JFV continues support of good legislation by sending action alerts to members letting them know about key votes and when calls to critical legislators might have a significant impact.
Issue Awareness & Education
As with any movement, the criminal justice reform movement needs the support of a large number of interested and dedicated people in order to effect change. We recognize that many people haven’t had substantial personal interactions with this system, and may not be aware of the many ways in which it is broken. As an organization we seek to educate our communities about the ongoing injustices and the solutions Justice Forward Virginia proposes. We want to provide data, research and anecdotes from Virginia’s system so that people new to this movement will not only be convinced that criminal justice reform is needed, but will share this information with their friends and family. We believe that the more people we reach, the more good we can do.
Our Issues
To learn more about the reforms we promote, click here. For the most current Virginia justice reform news, events and commentary, visit our blog or our Facebook page.
From the Justice Forward Virginia Blog
