Here is an update on the bills we supported in our letter writing campaign for Criminal Justice Reform!

We urged support for:

*SB1047 – Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) Training standards; community engaged policing: Passed the Senate, but left in the House’s Appropriations committee, meaning this bill was killed in the Public Safety Subcommittee and no further action was taken.

*SB1064 – Mental health awareness training; law enforcement officers, firefighters, etc.: Passed the Senate, but left in the House’s Courts of Justice committee, meaning the bill was killed by the Mental Health Subcommittee and no further action was taken.

*SB1442 Prisioners; mental health screening at local correctional facilities. Passed the Senate, but left in the House’s Appropriations committee, meaning the bill was killed by the Public Safety Subcommittee and no further action was taken.

Though we did not get the intended outcomes, we will continue to fight!  We want to thank you for participating in our letter writing campaign and making sure your voices were heard on this important issue! Please stay connected as there will be more advocacy opportunities!

If you are interested in joining the Criminal Justice Reform Organizers, please contact Darius at DSwift@VA-BLOC.org.