Virginia senate panel defeats bill to restore parole
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By DENISE LAVOIE and SARAH RANKIN
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Associated Press
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Friday, January 29, 2021
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - A bill that would have restored parole in Virginia was killed Friday after lawmakers heard emotional testimony from family members of crime victims who pleaded with them to guarantee their assailants would stay locked up.
The Senate Rehabilitation and Social Services Committee voted to send the measure to the Virginia State Crime Commission for study, ending the bill’s chances of passing this year.
Virginia abolished discretionary parole in 1995 and began requiring offenders to serve at least 85 percent of their sentences.