Todd Pillion and Cia Price Confront Barrier Crimes!
"The work of Senator Pillion & Delegate Price touches the very heart of civil society. They are true nonprofit
champions." ~ Jimmy LaRose, NANOE
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Dear Colleagues In Service,
Senator Todd Pillion and Delegate Cia Price are duly elected representatives in the State of Virginia’s General Assembly who share a common conviction. "Barrier Crimes"
interfere with the common good. They are past offenses that prevent charitable organizations from employing qualified individuals who serve citizens in need.
For decades, Virginia has taken an overly punitive approach against people who find themselves affected by substance use disorders. A person caught with a small amount of drugs could face a decade in prison. But it does not end after they have served their time. That individual is then branded a criminal for life and may struggle to find suitable employment, affordable housing and access to critical services. Despite having done their time, they often continue to pay a high personal price.
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It does not just impact them. An often-overlooked consequence is that someone with this kind of conviction who has completed their sentence cannot then put that experience to work serving others. Because of their record, Virginia laws have made it increasingly difficult for
individuals with drug-related convictions to draw on their lived experiences to work as peer recovery specialists.
Virginia’s outdated "barrier crimes" laws prohibit anyone convicted of one of 176 different crimes from working with communities and individuals, even if that work could have a lasting, positive impact. Further, these barrier crimes laws are doing little to help Virginia fight the opioid epidemic and may be actively contributing to it by reducing the number of people qualified to serve as substance use counselors, which would give them a purpose and a job.
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Warmly,
Louis Fawcett
National Association of Nonprofit Organizations & Executives
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