Truth on ESC Expansion 2025
The Humanization Project responds to continuing misleading, dehumanizing attacks on one of Virginia’s most successful criminal justice system reforms
To keep expanded ESC credits in place, we need your voice and we need it today!
All the evidence in the world says that expanded earned sentence credits have been one of Virginia’s best policy decisions in the realm of criminal justice. Yet despite the evidence, Gov. Youngkin’s 2025 budget proposes eliminating paired offense eligibility from the program less than one year after signing it into law.
The expanded Earned Sentence Credit (ESC) program has provided people behind bars with incentives for demonstrating growth. Thousands have earned their way home sooner, reuniting families and strengthening communities.
Since its initial implementation, Virginia has also maintained among the lowest recidivism rates in the country, violent crime rates have declined steadily, and the Commonwealth has freed up hundreds of millions of dollars to reinvest in other public safety priorities.
Despite this reality, misleading recidivism data is being used to paint the ESC program as a failure. These misleading criticisms are not new: Attorney General Miyares used the same incomplete data during last year’s legislative session. It was refuted line by line last year in Truth on ESC Expansion. And that letter and your voices together succeeded!
Read it now.
Tell your legislators and every legislator on the Appropriations committee why ESC expansion is important to keep in place today!
Attach this letter when you email them to show them the data that is the “Truth on ESC Expansion 2025” to counter the dehumanizing, misleading claims!
Find you Virginia Delegate and Senator: https://whosmy.virginiageneralassembly.gov/
Find links to legislators on Appropriations here:
To keep expanded ESC credits in place, we need your voice and we need it today!
The facts have not changed. The data being used to critique the ESC program is no more true this year than it was last – in fact we have more evidence that the program has benefited thousands while preserving public safety. The letter below provides the latest evidence that the ESC program is a responsible and effective public safety tool.