“It’s disappointing to see that some of the criminal justice reforms that were spoken about in the campaign have been dropped,” said Richard Johnson, Richmond’s capital defender. Michael P. Mullin (D-Newport News), who also serves as a prosecutor, was appointed head of the subcommittee that hears proposals to change the criminal code. In her seven years in Richmond, she said, she’s often found some Republicans easier to work with on criminal justice reform than Democrats who are fearful of being seen as soft on crime. ADBut Carroll Foy and many other elected Democrats say that overall, it has been a banner year for criminal justice reform. And critics say sending bills to the Virginia Crime Commission for study is not encouraging.

Source: Washington Post February 08, 2020 21:11 UTC