Defenders for Freedom, Justice & Equality

Click here to view and download the handout "BILLS TO FOLLOW IN THE 2019 VIRGINIA GENERAL ASSEMBLY" Thank you for attending the 2nd Annual Virginia Prison Reform Rally   sponsored by the Virginia Prison Justice Network Saturday, January 12, 2019 at 2 PM – 3 PM Bell Tower on Capitol Square, Richmond, VA 23219 This flier was created for the Jan. 12 Virginia Prison Justice Network rally by Virginia prisoner R. Fentress . Please share it - and remember that those behind bars are much more than numbers. They are our sisters and brothers, with hopes and dreams and challenges just like the rest of us. They are artists and poets and thinkers and leaders. And if this were a just and humane system that didn't grind up humanity in the gristmill of profit making, they would be out here on the streets helping to make this a better world. The prisoner-led Virginia Prison Justice Network (VAPJN) was founded after the very successful Rally for Prison Reform held Jan. 2...

The Virginia Defender Staff Report RICHMOND, VA -- In the largest show of support for Virginia prisoners in memory, more than 300 people turned out Jan. 20 for the Virginia Rally for Prison Reform on Richmond’s Capitol Square. They came by chartered buses and carpools from Blacksburg and Roanoke, Prince William County and Fredericksburg, Suffolk and Hampton Roads, as well as from the Richmond area. One of the largest contingents was from the NAACP chapter at Norfolk State University. Many were former prisoners or relatives of prisoners. Some represented prisoner advocacy groups. Others were individuals drawn to the event by the crying need for reform in the Virginia prison system. Several newly seated state legislators were in attendance. One especially unique feature was that the rally was initiated by a prisoner organization, Virginia Prisoner of Conscience (VAPOC), whose members spread the word among their relatives and friends on the outside. Logistics were handled b...