Virginia’s criminal justice future is shaking up the status quo. In a departure from tradition, a probation reform bill is uniting unlikely allies across party lines.
Typically, criminal justice reform in Virginia is championed by Democrats with little Republican backing. However, this year, Del. Wren Williams, R-Patrick, has captured national attention by teaming up with Del. Katrina Callsen, D-Albemarle, on an ambitious probation overhaul.
In the Senate, Sen. Christie New Craig, R-Virginia Beach, advanced a version of the bill.
If enacted, the legislation would allow formerly incarcerated individuals to earn credits towards reductions in their probation terms by achieving key milestones that demonstrate their rehabilitation. These include securing employment for at least 30 hours a week, earning vocational certifications, participating in mental health or substance use treatment programs, and obtaining stable housing and health insurance coverage.
The measure, bolstered by Reform Alliance — a national criminal justice organization founded by rappers Jay Z, Meek Mill and others — is now headed to Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s desk. It also has the backing of the conservative-leaning group Americans For Prosperity, along with several Virginia-based criminal justice organizations such as Nolef Turns and The Humanization Project.
Advocates emphasize that the reform could significantly reduce recidivism — the cycle of reoffending that leads many back behind bars.
Despite Youngkin’s previous veto of a version of the bill carried by Callsen last year, reform supporters are optimistic. They point to the governor’s own initiatives aimed at reducing recidivism by supporting formerly incarcerated individuals.
Notably, just months after rejecting Callsen’s proposal last year, Youngkin issued an executive order directing state agencies to share data and coordinate efforts to help individuals connect to vital resources during their transition from incarceration to freedom.
Reform Alliance policy manager Shawn Weneta said the organization is “excited” to see that the bills advanced with “bipartisan support both within the General Assembly and within the advocacy community.”
“Hopefully (Youngkin) will sign this into law,” Weneta said.
Williams, who has served on the House Courts of Justice Committee with Callsen, was motivated to spearhead the legislation this year after observing a similar law enacted in Florida and recalling how President Donald Trump signed congressional prison reforms during his first term.
Williams stated that the bipartisan drive for probation reform is “recognition that the punitive approach has not worked.” He added, “By prioritizing rehabilitation, Virginia is building a more effective, efficient criminal justice system that benefits individuals, communities, and taxpayers alike.”
He emphasized that reducing probation can help formerly incarcerated individuals “rebuild their lives out of the American Dream” and contribute to creating safer communities for all.
While Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears did not comment directly on the legislation, she expressed a shared ethos behind the reform.
During a Feb. 12 segment on The John Fredericks Show, Earle-Sears explained that “we want to do as much as possible to ensure that we don’t spend the money twice.”
She was discussing broader access to educational and vocational opportunities for incarcerated individuals, aiming to help with employment and housing once their sentences are completed.
“If we can give them incentives then we can get them engaged, get them an education… Then if you have a job of course there’s something about work that dignifies the soul,” she said. “I’m all for lifting up that soul.”
Earle-Sears, who previously spent time in prison ministry before her election to statewide office, shared how such work offered a sense of l hope to people during times when it may be scarce.
She also spoke about providing housing to former inmates could reduce recidivism, helping individuals get back on their feet.
“You’re not gonna go steal and create mayhem to pay for shelter,” she remarked.
During the conversation, Fredricks also asked her specifically about the legislation, expressing that he is “in favor of” it. While she did not directly state her support, she pointed out the strong bipartisan support it received, meaning her tie-breaking vote wasn’t necessary.
Should Youngkin choose to not sign Williams’ and New Craig’s bill, the lawmakers could try again next year, with a different executive branch in place.
As Earle-Sears is running for governor, she could potentially have more opportunities to weigh in on a future version of the proposal.
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Virginia Mercury is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Virginia Mercury maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Samantha Willis for questions: info@virginiamercury.com.
www.thecentersquare.com – By Esther Wickham | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-08-25 18:15:00
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) found George Mason University (GMU) violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act by implementing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies favoring race in hiring and promotions. OCR’s probe, prompted by faculty complaints, concluded GMU’s leadership under President Gregory Washington promoted discriminatory practices. OCR proposed a Resolution Agreement requiring GMU to commit publicly to nondiscrimination and a personal apology from Washington. The GMU Board of Visitors is reviewing the findings, but Washington’s attorney rejected OCR’s conclusions, citing flawed investigation methods and denying discrimination. GMU must comply by September 1.
(The Center Square) — The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights announced George Mason University violated federal law by hiring and promoting staff based on race and other characteristics.
In July, OCR launched an investigation into GMU due to multiple complaints filed by professors alleging that university leadership had adopted unlawful diversity, equity and inclusion policies from 2020 that give preferential treatment to prospective and current faculty, the department said in a press release.
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 “prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin in education programs and activities receiving federal funding. Institutions that are found in violation of Title VI can lose federal funds.”
OCR notified GMU President Gregory Washington that under his leadership, the Fairfax, Virginia-based university violated Title VI by supporting DEI practices and policies.
“In 2020, University President Gregory Washington called for expunging the so-called ‘racist vestiges’ from GMU’s campus. Without a hint of self-awareness, President Washington then waged a university-wide campaign to implement unlawful DEI policies that intentionally discriminate on the basis of race,” said Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor. “Despite this unfortunate chapter in Mason’s history, the University now has the opportunity to come into compliance with federal civil rights laws by entering into a Resolution Agreement with the Office for Civil Rights.”
OCR has issued a proposed Resolution Agreement to GMU to resolve the civil rights laws violations.
The department’s agreement requires GMU to publicly commit to nondiscrimination in hiring and promotion, including a personal apology from the president for promoting unlawful discriminatory practices.
The school’s Board of Visitors said Friday it was reviewing the steps outlined in the resolution and will “continue to respond fully and cooperatively to all inquiries from the Department of Education, the Department of Justice and the U.S. House of Representatives and evaluate the evidence that comes to light,” the board said in a statement on Friday. “Our sole focus is our fiduciary duty to serve the best interests of the University and the people of the Commonwealth of Virginia.”
But on Monday, Washington rejected the Department of Education’s demands.
In a 10-page letter to GMU’s board on Monday, Washington’s attorney, Douglas Gansler, alleged that OCR cut corners and only interviewed two university deans, Inside Higher Ed reports.
“To be clear, per OCR’s own findings, no job applicant has been discriminated against by GMU, nor has OCR attempted to name someone who has been discriminated against by GMU in any context. Therefore, it is a legal fiction for OCR to even assert or claim that there has been a Title VI or Title IX violation here,” Gansler wrote.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Center-Right
The article primarily reports on the findings and actions of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights regarding George Mason University’s alleged violations of federal law related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies. While it includes statements from both the OCR and the university’s leadership, the language used—such as quoting the OCR’s strong criticism of GMU’s DEI efforts and highlighting the university president’s rejection of the findings—frames DEI policies in a negative light. This framing, along with the focus on alleged unlawful discrimination against non-minority groups, aligns with a center-right perspective that is often critical of DEI initiatives. The article does not merely neutrally report the facts but subtly emphasizes the controversy around DEI, suggesting a center-right ideological stance rather than a purely neutral or balanced report.
www.youtube.com – NBC4 Washington – 2025-08-25 09:28:12
SUMMARY: As summer ends, students and teachers at Raymond Elementary in D.C. prepare excitedly for the new school year. The school boasts a brand-new playground and courtyard, with dedicated staff like Miss Tracee Robinson, a second-grade teacher known for her “Not Like Us” rap parody. Teacher Alexandria Henderson has a DonorsChoose wishlist totaling over $1,100, including carpets, headphones, and snacks. Thanks to Pepco’s $1,100 donation, her wishlist is fully funded. Principal Miss Hubbard and the community express gratitude as the school gears up for Monday’s first day, celebrating support from NBC4, Telemundo 44, and corporate partners.
News4’s Molette Green helps get Raymond Elementary hyped for school with a longtime teacher’s rap and a big donation for supplies.
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NBC4 Washington / WRC-TV is the No. 1 broadcast television station and the home of the most-watched local news in Washington, D.C. The station leads the market in providing timely and breaking news and information in text, video and graphics across more than 15 platforms including NBCWashington.com, the NBC4 app, NBC4 streaming news channel, newsletters, and social media.
virginiamercury.com – Charlotte Rene Woods, Nathaniel Cline – 2025-08-25 04:29:00
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin has ordered a state police investigation into allegations from a conservative blog that Fairfax County Public Schools helped underage girls obtain abortions in 2021 without parental consent, potentially violating state law. The claims have become a key Republican talking point ahead of elections, with GOP gubernatorial candidate Winsome Earle-Sears emphasizing parental rights. The investigation’s outcome remains uncertain and may not conclude before Election Day. Fairfax schools and officials have pledged cooperation but cannot comment further. The controversy echoes past political battles over parental rights in education and intersects with ongoing efforts to enshrine reproductive rights in Virginia’s constitution.
by Charlotte Rene Woods and Nathaniel Cline, Virginia Mercury August 25, 2025
Gov. Glenn Youngkin has ordered state police to investigate explosive allegations from a conservative blog that Fairfax County Public Schools officials helped multiple underage girls obtain abortions in 2021 — a probe whose findings may not surface before Election Day but could still sway voters in the court of public opinion.
Virginia law requires minors to obtain either parental consent or a successful court petition to undergo the procedure. Such records are also exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act.
The Mercury asked the Fairfax County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court whether any petitions were filed at all in 2021 and how many have been filed in subsequent years, which they did not provide.
Still, the possibility that a public school broke state law and bypassed parents’ consent rights is quickly becoming a political talking point for Republican candidates this year.
‘Gift that keeps on giving’
Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, who is running for governor, speaks to a crowd at an American Legion office in Chesterfield County on Aug. 14, 2025. (Photo by Charlotte Rene Woods/Virginia Mercury)
Against the backdrop of an ongoing effort to enshrine reproductive rights into Virginia’s constitution, Republican gubernatorial nominee Winsome Earle-Sears has seized on the allegations.
At a recent campaign event in Chesterfield County, she welcomed the story’s circulation in the news cycle.
“I don’t know if you also saw what’s happening in Northern Virginia — it’s just a gift that keeps on giving,” Earle-Sears said as the crowd laughed.
It cheered after she added: “Parents. Still. Matter.”
Political analyst Bob Holsworth said the controversy echoes of Youngkin’s successful 2021 campaign, when allegations of a sexual assault in a Loudoun County school bathroom sparked national furor over transgender students’ use of restrooms.
Investigations and legal proceedings extended well beyond the campaign, but by then “Parents for Youngkin” signs and “parents matter” chants had become staples of his rallies. Youngkin went on to win the governorship, and Republicans flipped the House of Delegates for a term.
“Interestingly, the target audience is not voters in Fairfax and Loudoun,” Holsworth said of the Democratic strongholds, “but Republicans elsewhere in the commonwealth.”
The allegations first surfaced in WC Dispatch, an Ohio-based conservative blog run by independent investigative journalist Walter Curt Jr. His father, Walter Curt Sr., is a Youngkin appointee to the Virginia State Council of Higher Education and has donated thousands of dollars to both Youngkin and Earle-Sears. Curt Jr. told Virginia Scope that his familiar ties don’t affect his reporting.
Holsworth suggested that GOP campaigns are aiming to “get these issues aired on Fox News so they can deliver a message across Virginia in a way that Democrats can’t.”
That’s because the claim itself — whether ultimately proven or false — is already enough to stoke concerns among some voters about public schools encroaching on parental rights. Defending parental oversight in K-12 education been a consistent Republican theme in Virginia politics.
If the allegation proves true, Earle-Sears has vowed accountability.
“Your underage daughter can’t get an aspirin without your permission,” she wrote on X on Aug. 19. “Yet a Virginia school may have taken a young girl for an abortion, in secret, using your tax dollars. If true, it’s monstrous, and there will be consequences.”
The legal wait-and-see
Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Sen. Siobhan Dunnavant, R-Henrico, hold a “Parents Matter” discussion at a Henrico County elementary school. (Graham Moomaw/Virginia Mercury)
Pending the outcome of the state police investigation, any responsibility to prosecute would fall to Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano, who has declined to comment.
Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond, noted that the timeline for an investigation is uncertain. While the number of people involved doesn’t appear large he said, the allegation dates back four years —a factor that could complicate evidence gathering and examination.
Tobias added that Republicans could “make a lot of political hay of it” heading into the elections, especially since Fairfax’s commonwealth’s attorney has been a frequent target of Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares.
Miyares, who is up for reelection this year, has long pushed for changes in state law that would allow the state to intervene in local prosecutions and has repeatedly attacked Descano as being too lenient.
A potential prosecution arising from the Fairfax abortion allegation could even spill into the next gubernatorial term.
Democratic gubernatorial nominee Abigail Spanberger is also watching closely. Her campaign said in an email to The Mercury that she “will be monitoring the status of the Virginia State Police’s investigation and will support appropriate action to uphold Virginia law.”
The campaign also highlighted Spanberger’s perspective as a mother of three young girls who attend public school, adding: “She believes that decisions about a child’s health and safety should always be made between them and their parents.”
Fairfax vs. everyone else
Beyond the locality’s prosecutor, Fairfax County Public Schools has become a lightning rod for criticism from parents as well as state and federal leaders.
Among the most polarizing decisions: overhauling admissions at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology to promote greater diversity, and resisting statewide transgender policies that would have required schools to out transgender students or restrict pronoun use.
The division is also arranging a security detail for Superintendent Michelle Reid.
After the abortion allegations surfaced, Reid wrote to the school community that the conduct described “would be unacceptable” in the district.
“I want to stress that at no time would the situation as described in these allegations be acceptable in Fairfax County Public Schools,” Reid said.
The school district has also stated that it will “fully cooperate” with the investigation but cannot comment further while it is ongoing.
Reproductive laws in campaigns
Reproductive-rights supporters watch as lawmakers debate a proposed constitutional amendment to protect abortion access on Jan. 21, 2025. (Photo by Charlotte Rene Woods/Virginia Mercury)
Beyond Earle-Sears’ bid for governor and the lieutenant governor and attorney general races, all 100 House of Delegates seats are up for election this year.
Looming over those contests is an ongoing effort to enshrine reproductive rights — including abortion — into the state’s constitution. The measure must pass the legislature again next year before appearing on a statewide ballot for voter approval or rejection.
While every Republican in the General Assembly voted against the proposal this year, they first attempted to add language reflecting existing state law on minors’ access to abortion. Democrats rejected that effort, pointing out that a U.S. Supreme Court case also affirms parental consent under the 14th Amendment.
Even so, the possibility that someone may have broken the law in Fairfax is “alarming,” said Sen. Jennifer Boysko, D-Fairfax, who is carrying the Senate version of the reproductive rights amendment.
“We should all be deeply concerned anytime anyone says they have been forced, misled or coerced into life-changing decisions about their reproductive health,” she said.
While Boysko did not specifically address the amendment in her comments, she added that she is confident the investigation will “shed light on the facts of the case.”
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Virginia Mercury is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Virginia Mercury maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Samantha Willis for questions: info@virginiamercury.com.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Center-Right
The content presents a detailed account of a politically charged issue involving abortion rights and parental consent in Virginia, highlighting perspectives primarily from Republican figures and conservative sources while also including responses from Democrats. The focus on Republican strategies, conservative media, and parental rights themes, alongside balanced reporting on Democratic reactions and legal context, suggests a center-right leaning. The article does not overtly endorse one side but emphasizes Republican political messaging and concerns, reflecting a moderate conservative viewpoint.
