April is being designated as the “Second Chance Month” thanks to a resolution introduced by US Representatives Mark Walker and Tony Cardenas based on the idea that the American story has a history of second chances. The Second Chance Month designation can contribute to increased public awareness about the impact of collateral consequences, the need for closure for those who have paid their debt, and opportunities for individuals, employers, congregations, and communities to extend a second chance and empower individuals to change their lives. For more information, visit https://csgjusticecenter.org/jc/media-clips/reps-walker-and-cardenas-introduce-resolution-to-designate-april-2019-as-second-chance-month/

Road to Second Chance Prayer Walk (4/6/19)

Join Prison Fellowship at The Road to Second Chances Prayer Walk on April 6, 2019 from 2:00-3:30PM in Lafayette Square as they unlock brighter futures for the approximately 70 million Americans living in the shadow of a criminal record, as well as celebrating their dignity and potential. At organized stops along the way, you will hear real-life stories of people searching for their second chance. Register for this free event at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/road-to-second-chances-prayer-walk-2019-washington-dc-tickets-54732513421  

National Crime Victims Rights Week (4/7/19-4/13/19)

The Office for Victims of Crime at the Office of Justice Programs is holding their annual National Crime Victims Rights Week from April 7th to April 13th. This year’s theme is “Honoring Our Past. Creating Hope for the Future.” This week long event celebrates the progress made by those before us as we look to a future of crime victim services that is even more inclusive, accessible, and trauma-informed.

The Marshall Project: A Discussion on Criminal Justice and Religion (4/9/19)

Join the Marshall Project in their monthly speaker series April 9, 2019 at 12PM at the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center as they discuss criminal justice and religion in public discourse. This discussion will feature prominent Americans, such as Congressmen and Reverends, as they explore how to create and disrupt narratives around criminal justice. Register for this free event at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/whats-the-story-criminal-justice-and-religion-tickets-58662226298

VCOG’s 2019 Open Government Conference (4/11/19

Virginia Coalition for Open Government is hosting its 2019 Open Government Conference on April 11, 2019 from 10:00AM-4:00PM at Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communication at Hampton University. The conference will include a variety of panels and speakers discussing issues such as access to police body-warn camera footage, secrecy and economic development, a General Assembly update, and much more. Tickets may be purchased at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/access-2019-vcogs-open-government-conference-registration-55981563363?ref=ebtn

Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy Legislative Recap (4/24/19)

The Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy is hosting its “Legislative Recap” on April 24, 2019 from 2:00-3:30PM at the Muhlenberg Lutheran Church. This session is a time to hear from VICPP staff members about the key legislative victories, the strategy, controversies, and the complexity of Virginia politics. This is also at time for you to share your input and priorities for next year, as well as discover how you can get engaged in advocacy work. Register at https://virginiainterfaithcenter.ourpowerbase.net/civicrm/event/register?id=57&reset=1

Pipeline to Prison Learning Tour (4/29/19-5/3/19)

Mennonite Central Committee will host a week-long learning tour from April 29th to May 3rd discussing the issues of mass incarceration and how people of color are disproportionately affected by this. The tour will include visits to prisons and agencies working with incarcerated people and returning citizens. It will begin in Akron and participants will travel to Philadelphia, Reading, Lancaster, and Harrisburg before returning back to Akron. Throughout this learning tour, participants will increase awareness of the pipeline to prison cycle and be equipped to break the cycle through spiritual renewal and life skills training. Register for this event by April 5th by contacting Curtis Book, Peace & Justice Coordinator for MCC East Coast, at 717-738-0885 or CurtisBook@nullmcc.org.

Harrisonburg City Funding by Year

This chart includes only funding from the City of Harrisonburg, and is derived from Harrisonburg City budgets. Most programs, including Community Services Boards and local jails, receive a mix of state and local funding, so this chart does not reflect the total budget of these institutions.

One reasonable question is whether the growth of jail and court spending is due to changes in crime, yet crime in Harrisonburg has been declining along with the rest of the country.

The criminal justice system
continues to grow even as crime falls.

Middle River Regional Jail is currently considering expanding their building. Millions of dollars are at stake.

Talk to your public servants about your priorities.

At the Vigil, solidarity will be expressed through silence, song, and prayer. This time was selected especially for families visiting the jail to be able to attend after their Saturday visit.

Join the event on Facebook to show your solidarity with those affected by local incarceration!

Learn how the numerous fees charged to defendants are criminalizing poverty and impeding their ability to get back on the right track. Learn how you can support the Valley Justice Coalition’s current campaigns on this topic like the elimination of keep fees at our local jail.

This event was previously presented on February 25^th at the Lucy Simms Center, and on February 28^th at James Madison University.

Chip Harding, Albemarle County Sheriff

The Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail is moving toward eliminating their $1 per day “keep fee”, with a vote scheduled for March 14th. Until now, Albemarle has charged inmates a $1 per day toward the jail’s budget, just like the Rockingham-Harrisonburg Jail. This $1 comes from their “canteen” fund which is an account toward which friends, families, and churches donate money so the inmate has access to commissary goods such as additional food and clothing beyond what the jail provides. The canteen fund is also used to make phone calls or for copays for their medical care while incarcerated. Col. Martin Kumer, superintendent of the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail, stated that this is a, “humanitarian issue…the $1 is not coming from the inmate but from friends, family, churches, and nonprofits that are trying to make a difference and help them out”. These outside individuals, who were not incarcerated themselves, are bearing the burden of this costly fee.

Kumer believes that by cutting the $1 a day fee, families will be more likely to donate money to the canteen fund because they know it will be used how the inmate intended and not to pay for the keep fee. Additionally, he believes that the increase in donations to canteen funds will encourage inmates to spend more on the commissary and phone system and the jail will make more money off of the increased sales at the commissary; this tactic will make up for the lost revenue from the keep fee.

The Albemarle County Sheriff, Chip Harding, said, “So a person can come into jail and if he’s poor and his family is poor, he can’t use the phone because he can’t pay that $1 a day fee. But if he’s rich, he can use the phone all day with no problem because he’s got the money? I know how I’m going to vote”.

Read more about the Albermarle jail board’s decision from the Daily Progress.

Join us on January 18, 2019 along with Justice Forward Virginia, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and the Virginia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers to gather at the Virginia General Assembly in Richmond, VA.

After decades of being stuck in the mud, criminal justice reform has finally gained traction in the Virginia General Assembly. For the second year in a row, momentum is building toward real change.

In this year’s legislative session, three key issues can be addressed. First, to resolve a longstanding injustice, we are asking for the unfairly sentenced Fishback cases to be made eligible for parole and be considered for release. Second, ending cash bail, the practice of locking people up before trial simply because they’re too poor to pay their way out of jail. Third, we will address the practice of taking away driver’s licenses when people get behind on paying court fines and fees, a practice that is counterproductive in facilitating employment, desistance from crime, and the ability of individuals to pay these fees.

Lobby Day is open to all who care about fixing our broken justice system. We firmly believe that in order to succeed, our efforts must rely on a broad coalition, including people of faith, returning citizens, human needs and human rights organizations, and champions of individual liberty, among many others.

How to Participate

Please contact us now if you are considering attending so we can make appropriate preparations. We will be leaving for Richmond at 6:00am on January 18th, and will arrive home by early evening. When you do so, please provide the following information:

1. Are you interested in carpooling?
2. Are you able to be a driver for others? If so, how many seats will be available in your vehicle?
3. Your telephone number
4. Home address
5. Place of employment
6. The names of your state delegate and senator, which you can find here
7. Prior lobbying experience, if any

No prior lobbying experience is required in order to participate. Those who haven’t lobbied legislators before will be assigned to groups with people who have. Participants will be briefed on the issues that will be the subject of our efforts prior to the event.

You can help make the difference!

Advocacy icon by Marc Brouillon. Prison cell sketch by Alfred James.

Photograph by Cliff, Licensed CC-BY-2.0.

On Tuesday, Dec. 4th at 4:30pm, Virginia Secretary of Public Safety Brian Moran and Parole Board Chair Adrianne Bennett are coming to Harrisonburg to discuss parole in Virginia and related topics. They will be speaking publicly at the Festival Center at JMU in conference Room 8 from 4:30-6:00 pm. This event is free and open the public. No registration is required.

Secretary of Public Safety Brian Moran’s 15-20 minute presentation will be “Parole: the Current Landscape in Virginia”

Parole Board Chair Adrianne Bennett’s 15-20 minute presentation will be “Virginia Parole Board’s Scope of Releasing Authority”
40-60-minute Q&A

Prior to the public event, Moran and Bennett will also be having invitation-only discussions with members of the Valley Justice Coalition and other interested parties about parole and geriatric release.

Click the image to view the poster

Parking

JMU students, faculty and staff must park in designated student parking lots. All other guests may park in lots D1 and D3 from 2-6pm. No parking permits will be necessary. Guests may receive parking citations if parked in restricted lots.

What: Forum to present new community-police relations report as well as a review of Harrisonburg Police Department’s Standard Operating Procedures. The forum will invite community members to identify their values with respect to criminal justice and define goals for the future of criminal justice in Harrisonburg.

When: Saturday, December 1, 2018 at 10 a.m.- 12 p.m.

Where: 205 S. Main St., Harrisonburg, Virginia 22801 (Asbury United Methodist Church, room 300)

In collaboration with Virginia Organizing, we will present on ongoing efforts to address criminalization at the local level. They will present a new community-police relations report as well as a review of Harrisonburg Police Department’s Standard Operating Procedures. The forum seeks to get input from community members about their values with respect to criminal justice and define goals for the future of criminal justice in Harrisonburg. The forum will take place in the Asbury United Methodist Church, Room 300, at 205 S. Main St., Harrisonburg, Virginia 22801 at 10 a.m.. Sessions will examine critical areas in greater depth such as immigration, homelessness, restorative justice, youth in the criminal justice system, and community-police relations.

Lashawnda Singleton

David Bruck

Join us for a free seminar on Virginia’s aging prison population and statewide efforts to release elderly prisoners through parole. This seminar will take place on Saturday, November 3rd from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Houff Student Center, room G284, at Blue Ridge Community College.

Panelists and presenters

• Dr. David Bruck of Washington and Lee University Law School
• Steven A. Northup, retired law partner with Troutman Sander LLP
• Dr. Nancy Insco, CEO of the Institute for Reform and Solutions
• Lashawnda Singleton, president of the Richmond chapter of Aging People in Prison: A Human Rights Campaign
• Richard Jackson of Strength in Peers
• Sommer Miller

No registration is required for this donation-funded event, and refreshments will be provided. Contact us if you would like to carpool.

Event Details

Saturday, November 3rd at 10:00am – 12:30pm
Houff Student Center, room G284
Blue Ridge Community College
1 College Ln.
Weyers Cave, VA 24486