Chair and members of the committee, thank you. My name is Dr. Elyse Osterweil, founder of Mothers Reform Child Injustices (MRCI) and a member of the National Safe Parents Organization (NSPO), and we SUPPORT HB118 sponsored by Delegate Keren Keys-Gamarra. I am also a Korean-American mother (US natural born citizen) who was falsely accused of abducting my own child on June 6-7th 2022, while I was in the process of seeking a protective order against my ex-husband, my child’s father (white male US citizen), as per law enforcement recommendations and escalation of harrassment/violence/recklessness and mental instability of my ex-husband/father of our child. That charge resulted in 16+ days in jail, trauma-induced seizures, and complex PTSD, multiple subsequent arrests for more than two and a half years before it was ultimately dismissed based on due process violations and the improper serving of the child custody calendar control notice, motion, evidence, and order. During that time—while I was pro se at points—I was denied exculpatory discovery by the CA in Fairfax County, including one of two videos that would have proven my innocence and impeached multiple witnesses. I was never told I could inspect the evidence, nor was I provided any copies, making meaningful defense or dismissal of these false allegations impossible. At the same time, my electronic devices and major accounts were repeatedly hacked or rendered inaccessible, depriving me of emails and records essential to my defense. This was not merely stressful—it materially impaired my ability to participate in my own case. What happened to me is not isolated. An increasing number of domestic violence victims—especially protective mothers—experiencing gender-bias, racism (especially if the father is a white male), and are being denied due process, denied their parental rights, criminalized, and incarcerated for attempting to protect their children from harm from their abusive partners. When discovery is withheld and access to evidence is obstructed especially against "plaintiffs"/abusers with 10 years of documented child abuse and domestic violence, the system punishes protection and rewards abuse, punished and endangers their children, and causes another generation of preventable trauma. It is also a violation of the 2022 reauthorization Violence Against Women Act, and Kayden's Law. The Brady rule requires disclosure of evidence favorable to the accused, including impeachment material held by prosecutors or police. HB118 matters because transparency is not optional—it is due process. Please support HB118. Grateful, Dr. Elyse Lee Osterweil, Ph.D.

I am Scott E. Peyton, Director of Government Affairs at Prison Fellowship, and I am writing to express Prison Fellowship’s support of HB 16. HB16 requires courts to allow individuals to earn credits toward fines and court costs through community service or work performed while incarcerated. It changes community service from a discretionary option to a guaranteed alternative and applies to work performed on or after July 2020. We believe this bill reflects sound criminal justice policy that promotes accountability, public safety, successful reentry efforts, and human dignity. 

Comments Document

I am Scott E. Peyton, Director of Government Affairs at Prison Fellowship, and I am writing to express Prison Fellowship’s support for HB127. At its core, HB127 reflects a fundamental constitutional principle: liberty must be safeguarded through fair and timely due process whenever it is at risk. Virginia’s Patrick Henry, a leading champion of the Bill of Rights, believed that individual liberties must be protected through clear constitutional safeguards, especially in criminal proceedings where the state's power weighs heavily against the individual. That enduring commitment to liberty through due process continues to guide our understanding of justice today. HB127 honors Virginia’s constitutional tradition by reinforcing the protections that secure liberty through fair and timely due process. By strengthening access to counsel at the earliest stage of a criminal case, the bill upholds the presumption of innocence, advances due process, and reflects the principles that inspired the adoption of the Bill of Rights itself. For these reasons, Prison Fellowship respectfully urges your support of HB127.