News & Commentary

Important things happen in different ways in this country. But sometimes it is just individuals who will not take no for an answer who propel us forward. Mildred and Richard Loving loved each other, and wanted to be married and to live in Virginia. Happy Loving Day!

Information on the inhumane practice of solitary confinement in state prisons is the Virginia Department of Corrections’ (VDOC) most closely guarded secret, and one that is actually driving people insane.

Regardless of what happens this session, reforms that will make Virginia a more just and fair place are gaining popularity. It is time for policies that eliminate racial disparities, take care of our mentally ill, and promote justice based on the facts of the case - not the size of your wallet.

The right to vote is fundamental to our democracy. It must be treated as irrevocable. Politicians should not be able to use the right to vote to reward or punish people. The right to vote should be treated in the same respect as other fundamental rights in our democracy, such as freedom of religion

Understanding that whole person and understanding her story helps in re-analyzing what is just and fair regarding if a person is in fact criminally-minded and what their punishment should be. Changing the mindset must start here, if we are to truly make an impact.

We live in trying times, a time when it can be hard to bear your own weight, much less take on the weight of another. This is why the ACLU of Virginia is so grateful to all of the participants, members and organizers that came together on a rainy Saturday afternoon to address mass incarceration.

This week, the ACLU of Virginia and the Roderick and Solange MacArthur Justice Center filed a lawsuit in federal court on behalf of Mr. Nicolas Reyes.

In a recent study, the ACLU-VA asks Governor Ralph Northam to sharply limit the use of solitary confinement. The ACLU report deems the practice is 'overused' in Virginia. The ACLU said reforms put in place by the state since 2011 are a “step forward” in reducing its use but don’t go far enough.

Harvard public policy profess spoke about the head and the heart, how they depend on each other, without one, the other collapses. Then he gave us all a philosophy that is the basis of this article, and will be the basis of all my future activism: “It takes the head and the heart to move the hands.”