by Kerry Dougherty
What do you do if you’re a soft-on-crime Democrat legislator in a no-parole commonwealth?
You get creative.
You find ways around the no-parole law that took effect back in the mid-1990s when Virginia was experiencing a crime wave similar to the one sweeping parts of the commonwealth now.
Democrats in the State Senate are once again trying to circumvent Virginia’s “Truth in Sentencing ” law. You see, it makes them sad to know that violent criminals now serve almost every day of their sentences.
“No fair,” they cry.
First, they elected Democrat governors who appointed self-described “bleeding heart” parole boards that found loopholes in the law that allowed them to spring murderers.
Then, when voters struck back by electing Republicans to top state offices, they began to introduce bills that circumvent the current law.
Meet SB842. The brainchild of Sen. Chap Petersen of Fairfax County. Continue reading
