Committee hears broad support for juvenile-parole reform to increase parole board capacity (SB 60)

Senate Bill 60, presented by Senator Locke (S16), seeks to strengthen parole procedures for individuals who were juveniles when they committed offenses and were given life sentences.

The sponsor said the substitute would set statutory parole procedures, increase staffing and professionalize the Parole Board, stagger appointments among the governor, the chair of Senate rules, and the Speaker of the House to reduce politicization, and clarify public hearing and discovery rules. The sponsor cited Supreme Court precedent and noted 81 people serving life for offenses committed as children and 221 juveniles who had served more than 20 years and were eligible for parole hearings as of January 2025.

Advocates and witnesses offered extensive support in testimony: Valerie Slater (Rise for Youth / Virginia State Conference NAACP) urged passage on the basis that "children are different" (SEG 206); Hannah Potts (S18) and research experts emphasized brain-development science (SEG 215); formerly incarcerated people and parole-advocacy organizations described successful reentry stories and the importance of capacity and fair processes. The Humanization Project and others highlighted the looming caseload as many people age into eligibility and the need for an adequately staffed board to process hearings.

There was no substantial recorded opposition in the committee record for SB 60 during this hearing. The chair set testimony time limits to accommodate a full docket and moved the bill forward per committee rules.