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1996 SESSION


SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 99
Directing the Virginia State Crime Commission to study restorative justice for nonviolent offenders.

Agreed to by the Senate, February 9, 1996
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 23, 1996

WHEREAS, society's response to crime must include the victim, society, and the community in order to create meaningful public accountability on the part of offenders; and

WHEREAS, "restorative justice" is a concept for nonviolent offenders in which physical constraint of the offender is set at an appropriate level to ensure public safety, the offender is held accountable, and victims and the community become the center of the criminal justice process in terms of restitution; and

WHEREAS, a system of restorative justice would involve putting nonviolent offenders to work in the community with suitable supervision, allowing them to pay back both the victims and the general public; and

WHEREAS, in light of the ever-escalating costs of new prison construction, a number of states, including Minnesota, Arizona, and Pennsylvania, are exploring the limits of a system of restorative justice for both juvenile and adult offenders; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the Virginia State Crime Commission be directed to study restorative justice in Virginia for nonviolent offenders.

All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the Commission, upon request.

The Commission shall complete its work in time to submit its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the 1997 Session of the General Assembly as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents.