How Parole Has Become Seemingly Unattainable in Virginia

Written by Emma Sauer, L’26 In 1995, during the height of the nation’s “tough on crime” movement, Virginia effectively abolished parole by adopting a “truth-in-sentencing” law.[1]  Under its new sentencing legislation, people were mandated to serve, at a minimum, eighty-five percent of their sentences.[2]  It was intended for individuals sentenced prior to 1995 to be unaffected; however, the Virginia Parole Board’s parole rate quickly diminished … Continue reading How Parole Has Become Seemingly Unattainable in Virginia

Invisible Prisons: The Promise and Failure of Probation

Written by Sarah Stuart, L’26 Few subjects haunt the American consciousness like crime. From Richard Nixon’s “Law and Order” campaign in 1968, to the 1994 Crime Bill and the uprisings of 2020, the national spotlight has remained on criminal justice for decades.[1] In the midst of this polarizing conversation sits probation:  rarely discussed when compared with pressing injustices such as police brutality and mass incarceration  … Continue reading Invisible Prisons: The Promise and Failure of Probation

Presidential Immunity and Chevron Deference

Written by Aislin Murphy, L’26 The 2024 SCOTUS term, with all its precedent setting and overturning, will no doubt go down as one of the more controversial, politically-charged Supreme Court terms in modern memory. The mid-summer decisions of Loper Bright v. Raimondo and Trump v. US particularly exemplify this controversy, the former granting the Judiciary far more power in agency rulemaking than it has had … Continue reading Presidential Immunity and Chevron Deference

The Freedom to Control: Conservative Christianity as an Anti-Civil Rights Force by Carly Lester

           As a native of Richmond, Virginia, I am no stranger to southern Protestantism and the (increasingly waning) cultural dominance of conservative Christianity in the South. Practically since birth, I was raised attending the same Baptist Church that my father and his brothers were raised in decades earlier. But, as with many young Christians, my doubts grew bigger as I grew … Continue reading The Freedom to Control: Conservative Christianity as an Anti-Civil Rights Force by Carly Lester