Richmond, VA - New Virginia Majority, Richmond Branch NAACP, and Kinfolks Community Inc. will host a mayoral candidates forum on criminal justice reform called, "Creating Opportunities and Increasing Safety in Our Communities,” at Richmond Public Library’s Main Branch. Confirmed attendees: Jon Baliles, Jack Berry, Bobby Junes, Joe Morrissey, Michelle Mosby, Levar Stoney, Bruce Tyler, and Lawrence Williams, Sr.

African Americans account for 20 percent of Virginia’s population but 60 percent of the state’s prison population. Earlier this year, the City Council of Richmond passed a resolution requiring the establishment of alternatives to mass incarceration. The resolution “encourages the development of strategies designed to significantly reduce the jail population in the city of Richmond by proactively decreasing reliance on incarceration through changes in sentencing policy, jail policy, social policy, and law enforcement policy to end “mass incarceration.” 

The debate will focus on criminal justice issues including reducing incarceration through diversion programs, support for returning citizens, drug laws and enforcement, and racial bias.

Who:  New Virginia Majority in partnership with Richmond Branch NAACP and Kinfolks Community, Inc.

What: Mayoral Candidates Forum on Criminal Justice Reform

Where:  Richmond Public Library Main Branch (Auditorium) 101 E. Franklin Street, Richmond, VA 23219

When:  2 p.m., September 24, 2016

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New Virginia Majority builds power in working-class communities of color across the Commonwealth. We organize for racial and economic justice through large-scale political education, mobilization, and advocacy around dozens of issues. We fight for a Virginia that is just, democratic, and environmentally sustainable.