Criminal Justice + Policing
Swing-state legislatures diverge on election-year gun measures
Read more Stateline coverage of the 2024 election. States continued to diverge on gun policy this year, with especially intense debate in the swing states that will decide November’s election. In Michigan, legislators are considering at least half a dozen gun bills that would create storage requirements and establish gun-free zones. In Pennsylvania, lawmakers are still debating […]
Modern-day outlaws, ‘sovereign citizens’ threaten the rule of law
In May 2024, an Oklahoma man was arrested and charged with kidnapping and murdering two women, becoming the fifth member of an anti-government group called “God’s Misfits” to face such charges. With the investigation still underway, details about God’s Misfits remain scarce. The group’s members may be part of the so-called “sovereign citizen” movement – people […]
Earned sentence credit expansions, new parole board operations to take effect this year
Eligible incarcerated people in Virginia will be able to further reduce their sentences through an earned sentence credit program beginning this July. While expansions to the program stemmed from a 2020 law, it had a delayed start date in 2022 that was later blocked by Gov. Glenn Youngkin through language in a previous state budget. […]
Study: Opioid use disorders are undertreated among formerly incarcerated Virginians on Medicaid
A new Virginia Commonwealth University study shows that opioid use disorders are underdiagnosed and undertreated among formerly incarcerated Virginians enrolled in Medicaid. Among the 4,652 adults released from state prisons in 2022, the study shows 85% were enrolled in Medicaid within one month of their release. While 13%, or 514 of these adults had a […]
Number of incarcerated pregnant women increases amid opioid epidemic
By Alyssa Hutton, Capital News Service Video by Jimmy Sidney, VCU InSight RICHMOND, Va. — Karlee Clements was six months pregnant, “full on into addiction” and begging to go to jail because she was afraid she would kill her child. Soon after, she was incarcerated at Riverside Regional Jail for a violation. Because of her […]
Allowing more high-speed police pursuits is unwarranted – and dangerous
Every time police officers activate their lights and sirens, punch their accelerators and pursue fleeing motorists in Virginia, I hope they remember people like Andre Bassette Jr. Or teenage cyclists like Geormond Morton. Or Gary Roberson, whom I once interviewed. All of these individuals were “third parties” – innocent pedestrians, drivers or their passengers who […]
Youngkin signs bill filed after shooting death of Henrico teen, vetoes 30 others related to guns
Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin handed down several vetoes, amendments and signatures on a number of gun and public safety bills the Democratic-controlled legislature pushed for this session. Among the measures Youngkin signed into law are ones that would create a felony charge for parents or guardians who allow a child under 18 to access a […]
Virginia corrections dept asks court to dismiss sex discrimination suit over strip search policies
The Virginia Department of Corrections has asked a federal court to dismiss a lawsuit by three current and former female employees who say its policies on body scanners discriminate against women because the technology is unable to distinguish between contraband and menstrual or reproductive products. The agency argues its policies, which permit the firing of […]
FOIA Friday: Secret pollution in Hopewell and a possible fix for incorrect voter purges
One of the less noticed features of the Virginia Way is the long-running tendency of the commonwealth’s leaders to conduct their decision-making behind closed doors. While the Virginia Freedom of Information Act presumes all government business is by default public and requires officials to justify why exceptions should be made, too many Virginia leaders in […]
Va. court says lease agreements can’t override landlord’s duty to keep property ‘habitable’
In a case involving a flea infestation of an Alexandria rental, the Virginia Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday that lease agreements can’t override state law requiring that landlords keep their properties “in a fit and habitable condition.” Under the Virginia Residential Landlord Tenant Act, tenants must “take an active role in keeping the dwelling unit […]
Youngkin calls traffic-blocking protest for Palestine ‘unacceptable’
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin took to social media Monday morning to denounce a pro-Palestine protest that blocked highway traffic in the Richmond region. “It is unacceptable to block interstates, endanger the lives of Virginians and cause mayhem on our roads,” Youngkin said on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, while reposting a photo of […]
Lowering the cost of prison phone calls helps families and society
Just a week before the 9/11 terror attacks, The Virginian-Pilot editorial page wrote: “It is not in the state’s interest to gouge the people whom prison inmates call collect, usually loved ones. This, however, is precisely how the present system works. It must be changed.” I’m proud to have been on the editorial board that […]