VSC NAACP supports HB 1759.

We strongly support HB1759, which addresses one of the most significant challenges faced by those reentering society after incarceration: the lack of support for a successful transition. This bill ensures that critical educational, vocational, counseling, substance abuse, and reentry services are made available at probation and parole offices statewide. Through our advocacy, we hear stories of individuals desperate to break free from cycles of recidivism but unable to access the tools and guidance they need to succeed. This bill goes further by requiring collaboration with the Department of Workforce Development and Advancement to provide post-release job search assistance. Employment is a cornerstone of stability, and the services outlined in this bill can mean the difference between a fresh start and a return to prison. HB1759 is a step toward accountability, dignity, and real rehabilitation. It not only supports returning citizens but also benefits families, communities, and the Commonwealth as a whole. I urge you to vote in favor of this bill. _________________________________________________________________________________ We strongly support HB1589. This bill takes critical steps toward improving the structure and functioning of the Virginia Parole Board. Increasing the Board’s membership to 10 members not only allows for greater diversity of thought and experience but ensures that each case is given the time and attention it deserves. We’ve heard directly from incarcerated individuals who often feel that their futures hinge on rushed decisions by an overburdened system. By expanding the Board and requiring panels of three to four members for deliberation and voting, this bill introduces a more thorough and thoughtful process, particularly for those serving life sentences. This bill also includes vital provisions for transparency and fairness, ensuring that victims’ voices are heard and that those eligible for parole receive a meaningful review. Parole isn’t just a bureaucratic process; it’s about second chances, accountability, and hope. HB1589 strengthens the system for everyone involved, and we urge you to support it. ________________________________________________________________________________ We regularly hear from incarcerated individuals trapped in solitary confinement—many for months or even years. They share stories of overwhelming despair, debilitating anxiety, and the feeling of losing their very sense of humanity. One man described forgetting how to hold a conversation. Another said he hadn’t felt the sun on his skin in years. These are not isolated accounts—this is the daily reality of restorative housing as used by VADOC. Solitary confinement strips people of basic social skills, fractures their mental health, and leaves them traumatized. How can we expect rehabilitation when we take away their ability to function in the world? Instead of restoring lives, this practice destroys them. HB2647 is a critical step toward replacing cruelty with dignity. It’s time we move toward humane, effective solutions that truly restore lives and strengthen public safety. Please support this bill.

Ladies and Gentlemen I thank you for the opportunity to share my experience with Virginia’s DOC and consequences of confinement. Our prisons are so short staffed that keeping inmates locked down is a normal practice. I have witnessed my happy go lucky loved one change in front of my face. He gets emotional easily, lost lots of weight, talks with a sadness in his voice, and his mental sharpness is deteriorating quickly. Sacrificing a human’s basic ability to be involved with others is immoral and inhumane. We as a society have labeled incarcerated individuals as worthless pieces of garbage that doesn’t even deserve a nutritional meal let alone any kind of normal life. When I say “normal life” I’m referring to a hot/warm shower, clean clothes without stains or tears, food that is fit to eat, natural sunlight, and temperature controlled environment. We have learned that going without natural light can cause serious depression and lead to other health issues. Imagine being locked down for days at a time where the only face you see is the one looking back at you through a flimsy plastic mirror. Close your eyes for a moment I want each of you to feel the darkness, loneliness, and suffering that solitary confinement creates. Now picture what it must feel like when it’s days, weeks, and months before you can feel human again. Ask yourself how would your loved ones feel if they didn’t hear your voice, get mail, or visits from you for an extended period of time. Better yet how would you feel if you weren’t able to communicate with them for long periods of time? Maybe some of you would like a little mini break from all the noise, but when that break doesn’t end and you’re left alone everything inside of you starts changing. Our society treats animals 100% better than incarcerated people. If a person is found guilty of animal cruelty or abuse they’re punished as well as they should be punished. Yet our prisons and society thinks it’s okay to treat human beings like garbage. See when we bag up our garbage we throw it out and never give it a second thought. This is exactly what we’re doing when we allow people to be confined and it needs to stop. Every life matters- especially those with emotional and mental health needs. Locking down people is creating more harm than good. This practice of punishment should be abolished and deemed a crime against humanity.

I support these bills to make our community safer

Please pass these comments sense safety laws. The county desperately needs them.