Ron Strider
Well-Known Member
Republican gubernatorial candidate Ed Gillespie called Wednesday for loosening Virginia's marijuana laws, raising the state's grand larceny threshold and ending driver's license suspensions for unpaid court costs as part of a broad effort to reform the state's criminal justice system.
Gillespie made his first post-Labor Day policy announcement at a black-owned barber shop in Richmond, cutting against the perception that his campaign has recently taken a hard turn to the right. Gillespie's plan puts him in agreement with Democratic rival Ralph Northam on several thorny policy issues, but sets up possible friction with tough-on-crime lawmakers in his own party.
Unveiling a proposal he called "three strikes and you're in," Gillespie proposed ending criminal charges for simple marijuana possession for a person's first two offenses.
"The third time, you need to know better and at that point you're subjecting yourself to the criminal justice system," Gillespie said to a largely African-American crowd of community leaders and ex-offenders gathered at Ronn Cutts barber shop on Broad Street. "I think that aligns the offense with the penalty much more fairly and gives people not only a first chance, but a second chance as well."
Gillespie said he also supports "tightly regulated" medical marijuana. The former Republican National Committee chairman and political consultant said he'll look to the results of a pending state study on marijuana decriminalization, but added that he does not favor "straight decriminalization across the board."
"We don't want to send a signal that smoking pot's OK," Gillespie
Virginia's $200 grand larceny threshold, one of the lowest in the country and a regular topic of debate in the General Assembly, should be raised to $500, Gillespie said, so that relatively minor thefts don't bring a felony charge. Democrats and some Republicans have supported similar raises in past years, but the legislation is routinely blocked in the GOP-controlled House of Delegates.
In a statement, the Northam campaign highlighted the discrepancies between Gillespie's proposals and the past actions of his Republican colleagues.
"Ed Gillespie is an expert in talking out of both sides of his mouth, and he's proving it once again," said Northam spokesman David Turner. "When he stands with Republicans who have stymied criminal justice reform efforts simply because they were proposed by a Democratic administration, that's politics at its worst. However, we're glad he's come to see the wisdom the initiatives Governor McAuliffe and Lt. Governor Northam have fought for during the last four years. I guess showing up late is better than never."
Northam has already called for decriminalizing marijuana possession, raising the felony larceny threshold and a lenient approach to restoring felons' civil rights.
On felons rights restoration, a highlight of Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe's administration, Gillespie said he would ask former Govs. L. Douglas Wilder, a Democrat, and Bob McDonnell, a Republican, to help him craft legislation to create a more stable process that's less dependent on the views of any one particular governor.
Under the state constitution, Virginia governors have broad leeway to restore voting rights and other civic powers to ex-offenders who lost them after a felony conviction. McAuliffe tested the limits of that authority by signing an executive order last year that restored the rights of more than 200,000 people at once. The Virginia Supreme Court later overruled that order, but McAuliffe has continued to take an expansive approach, restoring the rights of more than 160,000 people during his term.
A Republican-sponsored measure to soften the constitutional ban on felon voting died in a House subcommittee earlier this year.
Retiring House Speaker William J. Howell, R-Stafford, who successfully sued McAuliffe over the rights restoration order, attended the Gillespie event Wednesday, praising Gillespie's plan as a "thoughtful" effort to find balance on criminal justice issues.
Gillespie didn't outline specific rights restoration policies he'd like to see, but his plan notes that ex-offenders should have to pay off restitution owed to victims before being eligible to have their rights restored. Gillespie said he'd continue the McAuliffe-era "ban the box" policy that makes it harder for felons to be weeded out early on state government job applications.
To further smooth offender re-entry, Gillespie proposed government-funded drug testing to encourage employers to take a chance on hiring an ex-offender. The annual costs of Gillespie's quarterly testing proposal, roughly $500 per person, pale in comparison to the costs of keeping someone incarcerated, Gillespie said.
The General Assembly has already taken several steps to limit the practice of suspending Virginians' driver's license for unpaid court fines or legal fees, a policy widely seen as making it harder for people to get to work to pay off their debts. Gillespie said he would work with the legislature and the judicial system to end the practice.
After his opening speech at the barber shop, Gillespie and Republican attorney general candidate John Adams heard from a number of Richmond-area residents who voiced their frustrations about the stigma that follows ex-offenders as they try to transition back to productive lives.
Jerry Lee, a 47-year-old who runs a barber shop outreach program in collaboration with community activist and radio personality Clovia Lawrence, said officials should carve out a larger role for ex-offenders in anti-crime outreach programs.
"If it's an epidemic in the city of Richmond, why wouldn't you go to the survivors?," Lee said.
John Goode, a 50-year-old peer recovery specialist, pointed to a more specific barrier: a rule banning felons from the city's public housing sites.
"I pay taxes. I've got a job," Goode said. "But I can't go into a public housing project. And I'm not talking about being a liability over there. I'm talking about being an asset."
Northam and Gillespie are scheduled to appear at Virginia Union University Thursday night for an NAACP forum focused on issues of importance to African-American communities.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Seeking middle ground on criminal justice reform, Gillespie calls for looser marijuana laws | Virginia Politics | richmond.com
Author: Graham Moomaw
Contact: Contact the Richmond Times-Dispatch | richmond.com
Photo Credit: Journal News
Website: richmond.com | Richmond, Virginia news, business, sports, entertainment, restaurants, events, arts and shopping
Gillespie made his first post-Labor Day policy announcement at a black-owned barber shop in Richmond, cutting against the perception that his campaign has recently taken a hard turn to the right. Gillespie's plan puts him in agreement with Democratic rival Ralph Northam on several thorny policy issues, but sets up possible friction with tough-on-crime lawmakers in his own party.
Unveiling a proposal he called "three strikes and you're in," Gillespie proposed ending criminal charges for simple marijuana possession for a person's first two offenses.
"The third time, you need to know better and at that point you're subjecting yourself to the criminal justice system," Gillespie said to a largely African-American crowd of community leaders and ex-offenders gathered at Ronn Cutts barber shop on Broad Street. "I think that aligns the offense with the penalty much more fairly and gives people not only a first chance, but a second chance as well."
Gillespie said he also supports "tightly regulated" medical marijuana. The former Republican National Committee chairman and political consultant said he'll look to the results of a pending state study on marijuana decriminalization, but added that he does not favor "straight decriminalization across the board."
"We don't want to send a signal that smoking pot's OK," Gillespie
Virginia's $200 grand larceny threshold, one of the lowest in the country and a regular topic of debate in the General Assembly, should be raised to $500, Gillespie said, so that relatively minor thefts don't bring a felony charge. Democrats and some Republicans have supported similar raises in past years, but the legislation is routinely blocked in the GOP-controlled House of Delegates.
In a statement, the Northam campaign highlighted the discrepancies between Gillespie's proposals and the past actions of his Republican colleagues.
"Ed Gillespie is an expert in talking out of both sides of his mouth, and he's proving it once again," said Northam spokesman David Turner. "When he stands with Republicans who have stymied criminal justice reform efforts simply because they were proposed by a Democratic administration, that's politics at its worst. However, we're glad he's come to see the wisdom the initiatives Governor McAuliffe and Lt. Governor Northam have fought for during the last four years. I guess showing up late is better than never."
Northam has already called for decriminalizing marijuana possession, raising the felony larceny threshold and a lenient approach to restoring felons' civil rights.
On felons rights restoration, a highlight of Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe's administration, Gillespie said he would ask former Govs. L. Douglas Wilder, a Democrat, and Bob McDonnell, a Republican, to help him craft legislation to create a more stable process that's less dependent on the views of any one particular governor.
Under the state constitution, Virginia governors have broad leeway to restore voting rights and other civic powers to ex-offenders who lost them after a felony conviction. McAuliffe tested the limits of that authority by signing an executive order last year that restored the rights of more than 200,000 people at once. The Virginia Supreme Court later overruled that order, but McAuliffe has continued to take an expansive approach, restoring the rights of more than 160,000 people during his term.
A Republican-sponsored measure to soften the constitutional ban on felon voting died in a House subcommittee earlier this year.
Retiring House Speaker William J. Howell, R-Stafford, who successfully sued McAuliffe over the rights restoration order, attended the Gillespie event Wednesday, praising Gillespie's plan as a "thoughtful" effort to find balance on criminal justice issues.
Gillespie didn't outline specific rights restoration policies he'd like to see, but his plan notes that ex-offenders should have to pay off restitution owed to victims before being eligible to have their rights restored. Gillespie said he'd continue the McAuliffe-era "ban the box" policy that makes it harder for felons to be weeded out early on state government job applications.
To further smooth offender re-entry, Gillespie proposed government-funded drug testing to encourage employers to take a chance on hiring an ex-offender. The annual costs of Gillespie's quarterly testing proposal, roughly $500 per person, pale in comparison to the costs of keeping someone incarcerated, Gillespie said.
The General Assembly has already taken several steps to limit the practice of suspending Virginians' driver's license for unpaid court fines or legal fees, a policy widely seen as making it harder for people to get to work to pay off their debts. Gillespie said he would work with the legislature and the judicial system to end the practice.
After his opening speech at the barber shop, Gillespie and Republican attorney general candidate John Adams heard from a number of Richmond-area residents who voiced their frustrations about the stigma that follows ex-offenders as they try to transition back to productive lives.
Jerry Lee, a 47-year-old who runs a barber shop outreach program in collaboration with community activist and radio personality Clovia Lawrence, said officials should carve out a larger role for ex-offenders in anti-crime outreach programs.
"If it's an epidemic in the city of Richmond, why wouldn't you go to the survivors?," Lee said.
John Goode, a 50-year-old peer recovery specialist, pointed to a more specific barrier: a rule banning felons from the city's public housing sites.
"I pay taxes. I've got a job," Goode said. "But I can't go into a public housing project. And I'm not talking about being a liability over there. I'm talking about being an asset."
Northam and Gillespie are scheduled to appear at Virginia Union University Thursday night for an NAACP forum focused on issues of importance to African-American communities.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Seeking middle ground on criminal justice reform, Gillespie calls for looser marijuana laws | Virginia Politics | richmond.com
Author: Graham Moomaw
Contact: Contact the Richmond Times-Dispatch | richmond.com
Photo Credit: Journal News
Website: richmond.com | Richmond, Virginia news, business, sports, entertainment, restaurants, events, arts and shopping
