Virginia Voters Demand a New Approach to Criminal Justice
By Brian Burton
Over the past few years, Virginia has made a number of important strides toward reforming its criminal justice system into one that is more effective and more equitable to residents across the state. Members of the state’s legislature have shown their willingness to stand up and fight for a rehabilitative justice system in which they believe. In doing so, they have since achieved numerous transformative policy victories for Virginians, including the decriminalization of marijuana and the end of the death penalty in the state. Today, however, critics of criminal justice reform grow louder and threaten this progress by stoking fears of increased crime and portraying legislators as being out of touch with Virginia voters. Contrary to these arguments, a recent poll of likely voters in Virginia conducted by Data for Progress finds that Virginians do not share these fears and instead prefer that the state government take concrete steps toward realizing a fairer and more rehabilitative justice system for all its residents.
We first asked likely voters in the state how they rate safety in their communities after the state implemented its most recent reforms. In line with previous polling in the state, a strong majority of respondents (73 percent of all likely Virginia voters) feel that their communities are just as safe or more safe than they were before the reforms went into effect. While much of this result is driven by Democrats, 85 percent of whom feel as safe or more safe in their communities, they are also joined by a majority of both Independents (70 percent) and Republicans (62 percent) who agree with the sentiment. Many of the listed reforms have been in place for well over a year, showing that Virginians are not perturbed by the persistent fearmongering around reforms.
Next, we asked likely voters about their thoughts on the criminal justice system broadly and how it should function in society. When given a direct choice between two competing philosophies, respondents prefer a rehabilitative approach to their state justice system over a punitive one by a +21-point margin. This support extends across the political spectrum, with 54 percent of Democrats, 63 percent of Independents, and 52 percent of Republicans, respectively, sharing this view. Virginia voters want more than just a system that locks people away and forgets about them; they want a system that brings justice to victims, protects citizens, and helps offenders reform and reintegrate into society once they have repaid their debts.
In line with these results, voters in Virginia have demonstrated a strong desire to see the state government make concrete, monetary investments into bringing about this new justice system. After being shown just how much money is spent on maintaining the status quo, Virginians want to see their tax dollars put toward new, more effective, and more proactive solutions. By a +51-point margin, likely voters in the state say that they would prefer public safety funding to be dedicated to crime prevention programs over funding state prisons. While this policy shift receives its strongest support from Democrats, 87 percent of whom support this change in funding priorities, it also receives strong majority support (64 percent) among both Republicans and Independents.
Similarly, Virginians overwhelmingly support the state funding effective community care services: By a striking +77-point margin, likely voters in the state prefer that the government prioritize making mental health services more accessible to residents over funding long-term jail sentences. This includes 91 percent of Democrats, 81 percent of Independents, and 85 percent of Republicans. Voters want to see the state invest in not just punishments, but also in solutions that will help get these offenders back on track and help even more residents get the support they need before they ever have to interact with the carceral system.
Finally, likely voters in Virginia want their state government to directly assist in easing residents’ re-entry into society upon release. When specifically asked about their thoughts on the re-entry process, 3 in 4 likely Virginia voters say that the state government should protect residents from discrimination on the basis of their record. Furthermore, these protections have strong bipartisan support, with 89 percent of Democrats, 71 percent of Independents, and 67 percent of Republicans supporting direct action by the state government to do so. Studies have shown that scores of residents with records have previously faced intense obstacles to reintegrating into their communities in the form of housing discrimination, job discrimination, and denial of critical benefits. Beyond being a gross injustice to residents who have already served their time, it is easy to see how these additional hardships can foster the type of dire straits that push some to reoffend as they struggle to survive. From this perspective, it is obvious that strong re-entry programs and community support are integral to an effective justice system, and likely voters in Virginia agree. They can see that these residents have repaid their debt to society, just as the system intended, and so should be allowed to return to their community and resume their lives free of discrimination.
Virginia voters have seen the impacts of the state’s budding criminal justice reforms. They have seen how these reforms can make for safer communities and a fairer society. Now is not the time to buckle under pressure and scare tactics by those supporting a return to more punitive measures. Instead, policymakers must gather their resolve and continue pursuing new policy avenues to achieve the effective, rehabilitative justice system that voters desire.
Brian Burton (@Brian_C_Burton) is a senior analyst at Data for Progress.