VPLC Supports HB 1851 as Closing a Loophole Available to 1st Offense Domestic Violence Abusers Who Have Benefited from Deferred Sentencing Provisions §18.2-57.3 is the deferred sentencing provision available to first-time domestic violence abusers. It is only available to first-time offenders over 18 years of age who acknowledge that the Commonwealth of Virginia has enough […]

Rubber Stamp Justice:  Can’t we stop this abuse? Human Rights Watch released a report in January entitled Rubber Stamp Justice:  U.S. Courts, Debt Buying Corporations and the Poor.  This Report does an excellent job shining a light on problems that legal aid attorneys and their clients have been complaining about for years. “Every year, several […]

Parents have a long-recognized constitutional right to raise their children as they see fit, without governmental interference.  The U.S. Supreme Court has repeatedly upheld this right, most recently in the 2000 case of Troxel v. Granville (530 US 57).  However, if the government determines that a parent has abused or neglected her children, the government […]