Nearly half of the individuals who had their sentences reduced under Virginia’s Democratic-backed sentencing law were re-arrested within a year of their release, as reported by the state’s leading prosecutors.
The Virginia Attorney General, Jason Miyares, shared these findings on Wednesday, highlighting concerns about the Enhanced Text Credit Acquisition (EESC) Act. In a press release, he criticized the law and called on lawmakers to consider amendments. This legislation, supported by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), aims to show leniency to well-behaved inmates serving harsh sentences. However, at a press conference, Miyares underscored the concerns voiced by victims of violent crimes.
Angela Tyler Tan, a mother from Virginia, expressed that her son might have been alive if the individual responsible for his death had not been released early. She pointed out the finality of such tragedies, stating, “People’s lives are not video games… The death of their son is final. He doesn’t get a second chance.”
In another troubling instance, Miyares’ office noted that a child rapist who had benefited from the program re-offended just days after his early release.
The EESC program, which was established under former Democratic Governor Ralph Northam in 2020, allows inmates convicted of serious crimes like murder, robbery, and sexual assault to earn extra credit towards their sentences. Before this law, Virginia required serious felons to serve at least 85% of their sentences.
Data from Miyares’ office indicates that in the first year of the EESC’s implementation, 49.8% of releasess were re-arrested. Early numbers for 2024 show that 35.5% of those released under this program have been reincarcerated already.
For comparison, before the law took effect, only 17.6% of inmates released in 2020 faced re-arrest within three years.
Republicans have consistently opposed the EESC law since its inception, with Governor Glen Youngkin even proposing a budget plan to block certain sentencing credits. Meanwhile, the Virginia chapter of the ACLU engaged in multiple lawsuits to support the law prior to its full implementation on July 1.
The ACLU has not commented in response to inquiries from the news outlet. Miyares noted that, despite Republican efforts to limit the law’s impact, public safety has not improved as promised by Democrats. He urged the legislature to recognize its mistakes and work towards fixing the issues at hand.
