Virginia Voters Call for a Reimagined Justice System for Young People
By Brian Burton
With a juvenile justice system that often incarcerates young people for low level offenses, and disproportionately incarcerates BIPOC young people at that, many Virginians are concerned about a persisting tendency to excessively criminalize children in the state. By locking these children away, the state cruelly isolates them from their families and the broader communities that could best support them through their rehabilitation. Instead, it brands them as criminals, a label which can have major social, economic, and psychological impacts on their lives well into the future. Furthermore, the data reveals this system to be both costly and ineffective. It not only places undue financial burden on both the state and Virginian families, but with recidivism rates as high as 70 percent by some estimates among individuals who serve time, it is clear that the system neither effectively promotes healing nor does it set these children up to successfully re-enter society upon release. Taken together, it is clear that major changes are needed, and a recent poll from Data For Progress shows that likely Virginia voters decisively support such reforms.
We first asked likely voters about racial inequality, its impact on the lives of Virginians, and the state government’s part in addressing it. The results are clear: by a +30-point margin, voters in Virginia noted the persistence of racial inequality in the state and said they expect the government to tackle this problem in its many forms. This support for state government action is driven primarily by Democrats, 89 percent of whom called for government intervention, and Independents, who supported the measure by a +25-point margin. As the nation continues to reckon with its history of inequality across racial lines, voters have come to realize that systemic, institutional change must occur in order to right these wrongs, and they want to see their government lead the charge.
For Virginia voters, the state’s pattern of criminalizing youth can be most poignantly seen in its overuse of detention centers for children. Presently, children 11 years or older can be sent to correctional facilities, marring their records from a young age and isolating them from the families, friends, and mentors that can help them grow from their mistakes and re-enter society. When asked whether they support or oppose raising the age at which children can be sent to such facilities, likely voters from across the political spectrum support the policy by a +23-point margin. Furthermore, while it received its highest support from Democrats, who support raising the age by a +33-point margin (62 percent support vs. 29 percent oppose), it also received majority support from both Independents and Republicans, who supported it by +11-point and +19-point margins, respectively. This is not a partisan issue: voters know that children belong with their families. When they make a mistake, it should be their community, not the carceral system, that works to set them back on the right path. Furthermore, it is not enough to simply move the goalpost on when and how we choose to incarcerate young people — we must also address the social and economic inequalities in which crime foments and enact the bold institutional change that will make the system fairer for all children.
One such change that likely voters in Virginia want to see is an expansion of alternative programs and sentencing options for youths charged with misdemeanors or nonviolent crimes. When asked whether they supported directing these youths into restorative justice programs or other alternatives, an impressive 84 percent of likely voters in the state said that they either ‘Strongly’ or ‘Somewhat’ supported the measure. Even more significantly, this policy garnered overwhelming bipartisan support from voters, with 84 percent of Democrats, 83 percent of Independents, and 83 percent of Republicans supporting the measure. Virginians are eager to see their justice system transformed from one that criminalizes its young people into one that treats them with compassion and helps them thrive.
Growing up and learning to navigate the world as a full member of society has always been a challenge, and it has only grown more difficult over time. Our youths face pressures, obligations, and influences on multiple fronts; mistakes are expected to be made. Doing so does not render these children irredeemable. Nonviolent offenses should not lead them to be branded as criminals nor should they throw these children’s futures permanently into jeopardy. Rather, they should be met with compassion from the communities invested in their success and afforded the resources and opportunities they need to learn from their mistakes and re-enter society. On this, Virginia voters are decidedly united, and they want their justice system to be reimagined to reflect this same ethos. Doing so will allow the state’s children to grow from their mistakes, seize on their potential, and become the brilliant, compassionate citizens of tomorrow that will only make Virginia stronger.
Brian Burton (@Brian_C_Burton) is a Senior Analyst at Data for Progress.
Methodology
From June 23 to July 1, 2021, Data for Progress conducted a survey of 621 likely voters in Virginia using web panel respondents. The sample was weighted to be representative of likely voters by age, gender, education, race, and voting history. The survey was conducted in English. The margin of error is ±4 percentage points.