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Mission Statement

A safe, peaceful Virginia for all citizens by meeting public safety responsibilities for restoration of crime victims, the offenders, the affected families, and the community at large.
Virginia C.U.R.E.
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Virginia CURE 2010 Legislative Priorities

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Virginia C.U.R.E. supports the proposal in the Governor’s budget to extend and expand the work of the Task Force on Alternative Methods of Punishment. This proposal should be strengthened to include a study of both non-violent and violent offenders, reforms of parole and geriatric release policies and procedures, and better management tools for post-1995 offenders to incentivize them to prepare themselves for successful reentry (e.g. increasing earned sentence credits). All these measures would lower costs of imprisonment and allow for an earlier and more successful reentry of eligible prisoners back into the community.

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Virginia CURE Statement Upon Release of Class Action

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Virginia prisoners and their families have suffered through years of Virginia Parole Board denials. Virginia CURE thanks everyone who has had a part in efforts to correct Virginia's flawed and unfair parole process.

A press conference was held in Richmond on February 3, 2010 to announce a Class Action filed in Richmond Federal Court by eleven Virginia prisoners challenging the Virginia Parole Board's denials of parole (see below for more information). Virginia CURE was an early non-legal participant in this action and we are grateful to Justice4All, the Virginia Institutionalized Persons Project and the law firm of Troutman Sanders LLP for their excellent work to bring this Class Action to the court. Virginia C.U.R.E. released the following statement:

VIRGINIA CURE STATEMENT UPON RELEASE OF CLASS ACTION
February 3, 2009
"Since Virginia abolished parole in 1994, Virginia CURE has received thousands of letters from prisoners and their family members identifying the parole process as one of the most frustrating experiences they have had with our correctional system.  Many of these prisoners were given very harsh sentences under the expectation that, if they turned their lives around, they would have legitimate expectations of being released on parole.  Yet Virginia continues to have one of the lowest parole grant rates in the nation. Virginia's Parole Board focuses solely or primarily on the 'serious nature of the crime' even decades after sentencing.  As Delegate Albo noted last year, 'What's happening to these guys is not fair.'   We are encouraged that the Legal Aid Justice Center has now taken steps to try to fix this broken system."

Parole Class Action Filed By VIP Project

On February 3, 2010, eleven Virginia inmates filed a class action in federal court in Richmond to challenge the Virginia Parole Board's denials of parole for inmates convicted of violent offenses solely because of the nature and circumstances of their crimes.  Virginia law requires the Board to consider several factors including the prisoner's behavior and rehabilitation while incarcerated.  The Parole Board places almost exclusive emphasis on the nature of the crime and fails to consider the other factors. Read about the case here:

http://www.justice4all.org/our_programs/vip/parole