Justice reform advocates have long sought to end the practice at the D.C. Jail.

Activists say they want Virginia to follow D.C. and allow convicted felons to vote from prison, but Democrats are taking a more moderate approach in pushing for voting rights to be automatically restored after someone is released.

Violent crime victims opposed bringing back parole, while families of the incarcerated said their loved ones deserved a second chance.

Virginia has used the death penalty longer and executed more people than any other state, but the tide has turned against capital punishment in the commonwealth.

Flanked by Breonna Taylor’s aunts, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam signed a law banning the kind of search warrant used the night Taylor was killed by police in Louisville.

The bill would allow convicted felons who committed a violent crime before turning 25 to petition for early release after serving 15 years in prison.

Police chiefs say they support making it easier to decertify officers for excessive use of force, although doing away with qualified immunity may be a tougher hurdle.

All five Northern Virginia commonwealth’s attorneys joined the Virginia Progressive Prosecutors for Justice to support some—but not all—of the Senate Democrats’ ideas for criminal justice reform.

Criminal justice reform measures are expected to include police accountability and oversight, according to the governor.

In its first virtual state convention, the Democratic Party of Virginia convened a panel on criminal justice reform and appeared poised to make changes in an upcoming legislative special session.