ICYMI: Governor Terry McAuliffe spent the day yesterday celebrating the accomplishments of four graduates of the Virginia juvenile justice system who have turned their lives around.
Bon Air, the state's last remaining maximum security prison for juvenile offenders, now offers seven online college programs, thanks to the high-speed internet the governor ordered for the facility.
The governor also helped residents create a student government association with its own constitution, and the state offers free transportation so that family members can more easily visit their children.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch noted that, “No one is more engaged in the effort [to reform juvenile prisons] than McAuliffe, who led the four former correctional residents on a tour of the Executive Mansion, from the guest bedrooms upstairs to the gubernatorial chicken coop out back, before hosting them and accompanying juvenile justice staff to a spirited discussion over lunch.”
McAuliffe noted that “[e]verybody in life deserves a second chance” and told the former residents: “Particularly at such an early age, don’t give up hope, because we need you.”
To read the full article from the Richmond Times-Dispatch, click here.
|