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Virginia Renews Its Faith In Second Chances, The Honorable Jerrauld C. Jones, Julie E. Mcconnell

Law Faculty Publications

"On January 1, 1995, in the early morning hours, 17-year-old A.M. committed a crime in Virginia that would change his life forever. Tragically, he and two co-defendants took a man’s life. He will live the rest of his life regretting that day and working to become a better person. Something else significant happened on January 1, 1995˗˗Virginia’s legislation to abolish discretionary parole went into effect. (See Va. Code §53.1-165.1) If he had committed the crime one day earlier, A.M. would have been eligible for parole years ago. Under the new law, however, any person sentenced to a term of incarceration …