HB 1458 & 2412: Why do Republicans seem to love punishment so much? Where is the sense of rehabilitation? Many members of the Gen Assembly are attorneys, and, as such, know that many defendants are forced by impossible circumstances into plea deals. I know someone in prison for 12 years. He is 72 now, and he was manipulated into a plea deal, which by all rights is legalized extortion. There is little recidivism for older felons, and harming them further by prolonged punishment does nothing but support financially the prison population. The entire "justice" system is anything but just, and when pared back, the most dangerous would be perhaps 5%. Kneecapping the elderly is simply cruel, and adds to the inequities all ready in the system.

Please oppose this bill. Release under this statute is already conditional and discretionary. Excluding these crimes does nothing but remove the possibility where release may be appropriate. We're dealing with folks who are 65 or older and who have served at least five years of their sentence or who are 60 or older and have served at least 10 years of their sentence. Do the citizens of Virginia want to waste their tax dollars to house and feed senior citizens who stalked someone (§ 18.2-60.3), who violated a protective order (§ 16.1-253.2), who engaged in oral sex (§ 18.2-346) or any number of other sex-related offenses? Many of the sexual offenses listed in the bill are perpetrated by someone known to the victim and, according to endless research, are unlikely to be repeated.

Date: 1-20-2023 To Members of the General Assembly: Good day; I am coming to you as a private citizen, not a representative of the Virginia department of corrections; I am speaking on my own. I wish to address my concerns to the general assembly about the issues faced by Correctional officers and the general public. I am a public safety officer/ Correctional officer in Virginia. The purpose of this comment is to ask for your support in HB 1536, respectfully. The grievance procedure was designed to allow state employees to resolve work-related issues without prejudice. Over the years, the Department of Corrections revised the grievance procedure, which created bias among its personnel. When the grievant submits a grievance against their respective agency, the grievant experiences unfair delays resulting in unresolved complaints and biased decisions, which promotes retaliation to the grievant by the agency. Please support HB 1536 by Delegate Jenkins to restore inclusion and fairness while maintaining accountability, consistency, and transparency, as the Grievance Procedure was designed for. Sincerely, Mr. James Anthony Murdoch Sr.

I'm a public safety officer (correctional officer) within the Department of Corrections. The purpose for this comment is to respectfully ask for your support in HB 1536. The grievance procedure was designed to give state employees a way to resolve work related issues without prejudice. Over the years, the Department of Corrections made revisions to the grievance procedure which create bias among its personnel. When the grievant submits a grievance against his/her respective agency, the grievant experiences unfair delays resulting in unresolved complaints and biased decisions which promotes retaliation to the grievant by the agency. Please support HB 1536 by Delegate Jenkins in an effort to restore inclusion and fairness while maintain accountability, consistency and transparency as the Grievance Procedure was designed for.

HB 1458 & 2412: Why do Republicans seem to love punishment so much? Where is the sense of rehabilitation? Many members of the Gen Assembly are attorneys, and, as such, know that many defendants are forced by impossible circumstances into plea deals. I know someone in prison for 12 years. He is 72 now, and he was manipulated into a plea deal, which by all rights is legalized extortion. There is little recidivism for older felons, and harming them further by prolonged punishment does nothing but support financially the prison population. The entire "justice" system is anything but just, and when pared back, the most dangerous would be perhaps 5%. Kneecapping the elderly is simply cruel, and adds to the inequities all ready in the system.