Your Success Story Starts with THE 40 STRONG

2025  Focus and Goals Address

We would first like to thank ALL the families, organizations, advocates, lawmakers, newspapers, media,  onlookers etc... for a beautiful advocacy year. As the General Assembly session comes to an end, we can only reflect on things we did right and things we could of done better. You will never get everything you want in a single year of legislation, and our organization has lived that reality over the past 4 years. So with the wins we say CONGRATULATIONS to the advocacy community, and even greater gratitude to the families and men and women of Virginia DOC. Every time I say the word MEMBER,  it fills me with humanity's touch. Our men and women of DOC are Human Beings. So the wins we dedicate to them. As for the losses, we dust ourselves off and get back to it. Do it hurt? You dag on right it do! I say that speaking for Free, Angela, Nairobi, Kirsten, Netta, Nasir, and so many others. We stand on that battlefield tooth and nail! Every email, event, letter, phone call, post, prayer, and tear. This is a fight for lives so the ramifications are heavier. We did not foresee losing the fight for Second Look, but that's how these General Assembly sessions go. Everything can be looking so perfect and then someone throws a wrench in the plan. This was especially hard considering the fight that we put in to get everybody to vote. I will be lying to you if I didn't say that we had expectations going into this 2024 General Assembly session. With all that said, you will win some and you will lose some.  So wins and losses aside TIME TO PUSH!!!!.

We are calling on everybody to get involved from right now until the 2025 General Assembly session starts in January. That means that you have to be active reaching out to your local delegates or senators to speak your voice on Second Chances. Our primary goal for 2025 is GOOD TIME FOR GOOD BEHAVIOR. Regardless of how the bills have panned out this year, the one truth that remains is the majority of Virginia DOC is serving an 85% sentence. That means that for every 30 days they do with good behavior they're only getting FOUR DAYS incentive. THIS HAS TO STOP!!!! Also note that 2025 is the 30-year anniversary of when parole was abolished by then Governor George Allen in 1995. So we need everyone to get involved and start shooting emails, contacting your newspaper, joining organizations to strengthen our community. If you would like to join us please email us at: the40strong@gmail.com if you would like to know how you can fight follow our Facebook page The Forty Strong and just look on this website

We are in desperate need of volunteers and people who can send emails, strategize, plan and help the movement grow. We will not let the disappointment of this year stop us from the great things that are coming next year. Thank you for your time and let's go!

                       REFORM 2025.