Op-Ed: Youngkin’s Disingenuous Amendments Harm VA Families.

Whatever your take on a gas tax holiday, it was never Youngkin’s real goal with last week’s budget amendments. It was a salient talking point to misdirect public attention from inhumane policies. It worked.

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of families with incarcerated loved ones had homecoming plans dashed, and lives interrupted by his rushed vote undoing promised, earned incentives. They added prison time despite exemplary behavior; thanks, Gov!

It could only be done sneakily. On Wednesday night, Youngkin scrapped a bipartisan budget agreement, demanding dozens of amendments and forcing a sudden unscheduled vote in two days. Included quietly was the drastic reduction in recipients of expanded earned sentence credits from legislation passed 18 months ago and set to take effect July 1. Three previous legislative attacks on these incentives failed and even had some bipartisan support. This attack only succeeded because the sudden summer vote left many unsuspecting supporters out of the state and unable to be counted. It passed with fewer votes than make a normal majority, yet this incomplete vote had completely devastating consequences. The legally-promised chance to EARN earlier release for exemplary rehabilitation was yanked back at the 11th hour. Families planning reunions just two weeks from now after decades apart, eager employers, children expecting hugs, all simply must suffer. They are our people.

Yet the gas price comments were the only part of those amendments that made major news.

Tim: I will no longer be able to see my daughter Emma graduate as planned. More important than the milestone, she’ll miss a positive force in her transition to adulthood. She’s heartbroken and less supported without the responsible man I’ve worked diligently to become. Sure, no crime, no issue, but I took responsibility for that action over a decade ago. Since, I defeated addiction spawned by teenage surgeries and resulting prescriptions while learning new professional skills, avoiding all trouble, and devotedly being Dad. The new law 18 months ago promised us we’d get the simple reward of my daily presence and support. Now that’s rescinded suddenly; everyone is punished again. How does that impact my rehabilitation? How does that encourage trust in public officials and legitimate pathways? How does that affect my daughters’ trust in society?!

Mikey: I tagged along 17 years ago in a terrible plan, but even then, when I saw it getting violent, I stepped in and saved the victim’s life, by his own account. Since I’ve devotedly improved myself, my professional dedication forged a path not just good for me but for everyone around me. With 17 days to go until the release DOC promised and I earned, my concerted efforts within hard, cold surroundings were finally bearing fruit. The sweet touch of time I finally enjoyed was within my grasp. Time off my sentence. Time with my family. Time to make my life mean something. I could build the graphic design business I’ve trained for, found my nonprofit, and especially reconnect with my nieces and nephews. While the recent loss of three family members would leave empty chairs, one more would be filled, and so then others. Then those dreams were dashed by feckless, petty politicians. All these possibilities were suddenly lost beneath the indifferent, self-congratulatory policies of a governor pushing my family apart instead of together. And that’s just two of us. Multiply those impacts by thousands affected similarly. It certainly doesn’t improve things for Virginia’s public safety, or families like Youngkin’s vague rhetoric claimed. Quite the opposite.

First, it will not reduce crime by any evidence or logic. Tough on Crime has NEVER been Smart on Crime, as every rigorous study has found long sentences keep people locked up way after they pose any risk, at severe social and economic costs. Plus, an independent analysis of the releases expanded credits initially created found us less likely to commit future crimes than Virginia’s already low standard, about the same as an average citizen without a record. This amendment specifically stopped those who went the longest with best behavior from EARNING second chances.

It also directly undermined incarceration’s ultimate goal of rehabilitation. All evidence demonstrates meaningful incentives for improvement produce better returning citizens. Youngkin not only cagily stole them from thousands of your future neighbors, but he likely sent some in the opposite direction. Taking away promised rewards and hurting our families after we worked for years doing as told actively reduces our trust in the system and state leaders. Think that will reduce crime and encourage selflessness when we get out eventually, disillusioned and bitter?

Likewise, these changes fail the innocent families of the state. Since it won’t reduce crime, no victims will be averted, but many will be created. Thousands kept inside longer means tens of thousands of kids, spouses, and parents kept longer without needed support. Our earlier releases would have directly reduced poverty, violence, addiction, and educational problems within our families (well, facts) and indirectly the broader issues and costs they bring our communities. Instead, Youngkin’s backdoor move extends family disruptions as long as possible, reducing social trust among our loved ones. United families are much more law-abiding families. How do you think that plays out for taxpayers and communities?

This has all been sold (when acknowledged) by misleading notions and false data, like suggesting the tragic, natural increase in homicide rates garnering attention stems from Virginia’s reforms. To start, the expanded incentives hadn’t even taken effect yet, so that they couldn’t play a role. Further, other reforms were irrelevant because murders grew nationally, just as much or more where no reforms occurred. Plus, many crimes have not increased; even those that rose did so from historic lows and generally remained well below past peaks.

Many factors have impacted the growth of homicides, especially COVID’s mass social disruptions and stress, widespread distrust inflamed by politicians casting disagreers as mortal enemies, and the record access to handguns among people already stoked to anger and fear. It has been due to early release incentives for those proving rehabilitation.

How do you suspect Youngkin’s underhanded, last-minute theft of our previously-granted rewards will affect any fundamental factors driving recent violence? 

Just another situation where he smiled smoothly, offered vapid, distracting rhetoric, and pushed policies that dramatically hurt real Virginians without helping anyone, only his political ambitions