FEATURED INSIGHTS
INSIGHTS
POLICY BRIEF: Virginia Criminal Justice Reform
The Virginia General Assembly directed its State Crime Commission (SCC) to undertake an emergency review of its criminal justice policies and identify opportunities for reform. Most legislative activity will center around policies supported by the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus, mainstream Democratic activists, and the Black Lives Matter protestors. This augments those discussions.
Reform in Virginia Means Dashing the Specter of Byrd
Many high-profile, liberal state laws became effective in Virginia on July 1 that begin to unravel generations of systemic injustice faced by the Commonwealth’s minority residents. The Commonwealth of Virginia elected its first liberal legislature in 2019 since Reconstruction ended in 1880, completing a centuries-long ideological transition of the state Democratic Party from conservative to liberal.