Virginia law stops early inmate releases, angering families

By DENISE LAVOIE and SARAH RANKIN
Associated Press

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A last-minute amendment to Virginia’s budget has blocked the planned release this summer of hundreds of inmates. The change affected the state’s earned sentence credit program, which was expanded in 2020. It allows inmates to shave off some time from their sentences for good behavior. Inmates could not apply the expanded credits toward a sentence for a violent crime but could benefit if they also had a lower-level offense. The budget amendment reigns in who can qualify. Relatives and other advocates for the affected incarcerated people said the last-minute reversal cruelly upended reunion and homecoming plans, devastating families and the inmates.