Press Release: Virginia Improves Parole Process for Hundreds of Individuals Serving Lengthy Sentences Since Childhood
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 23, 2026
Media Contact: Callie King-Guffey | [email protected]
April 23, 2026 – Today, the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth (CFSY) celebrates a landmark victory for those sentenced as children in Virginia, as SB60/HB318 is officially set to become law this year. This critical legislation strengthens the parole decision-making process for individuals who were sentenced to life or long-term imprisonment for offenses committed as children.
In 2020, Virginia became the 23rd state to ban life-without-parole sentences for children, granting parole eligibility after 20 years of incarceration to all people in Virginia who were under the age of 18 at the time of their offense. However, as State Senator Mamie Locke noted in her testimony, “very few individuals have been released” in the first five years following the historic reform, highlighting the urgent need for a process that honors the spirit of the original ban and the legal requirements that the opportunity for release is “meaningful.”
SB60/HB318 ensures the parole process aligns with the established science of adolescent brain development and fulfills the constitutional requirement of providing a “meaningful opportunity for release” based on demonstrated maturity and rehabilitation. The bill is anticipated to impact hundreds of individuals incarcerated since childhood. The portion of the bill impacting parole procedures for youth will take effect on July 1, 2026.
“The passage of SB60/HB318 recognizes that children are uniquely capable of change. As a formerly life-sentenced child myself, I am thrilled that my peers in Virginia will have an opportunity similar to how the Pennsylvania Parole Board considered my youth when I, and hundreds of others, were successfully reviewed and paroled,” said Abd’Allah Lateef, Deputy Director of the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth. “By refining the parole process to reflect the hallmarks of youth and the capacity for transformation, Virginia is aligning its practices with the law and the science of human development. We are grateful to the Virginia General Assembly, especially bill sponsors Senator Mamie Locke and Delegate Patrick Hope, and Governor Abigail Spanberger for ensuring that those who have spent decades working toward redemption are given a fair chance to return home.”
Among those celebrating the news is Anthony Gomez, a member of the CFSY’s Incarcerated Children’s Advocacy Network (ICAN). Gomez was the first person granted parole in Virginia under the 2020 law after serving 24 years for a crime committed at age 17. Since his release, he has become a legal support analyst at a multinational corporation and founded a nonprofit organization.
“I was told I would die in prison for the terribly poor choices I made at age 17. Having the chance to come home and prove that I am more than my worst mistake has been the greatest blessing of my life,” said Gomez. “But I know all too well that there are hundreds of men and women still behind bars who have done the work, who have transformed their lives, but are stuck in a broken process. The passage of SB60/HB318 serves as a beacon of hope for those still inside, worthy of the same second chance I was given. It tells them that their growth matters and that their homecoming is within reach.”
CFSY looks forward to working with state officials and local partners in Virginia to put this statute into action and improve Virginia’s parole process for those sentenced as children.
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The Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth is a nonprofit that leads efforts to ban life-without-parole and other extreme sentences for children, and supports those incarcerated as children who are released after serving long sentences to lead and thrive.
For more information, or if you would like to arrange an interview, please contact Callie King-Guffey at [email protected] | 503-853-2409
