Bill > SB752

This bill establishes a Commission to Review and Assess Racial Disparities in the State Criminal Justice System, comprised of members from the Senate, House of Delegates, the Public Defender's office, the Attorney General's office, the Administrative Office of the Courts, the State's Attorneys' Association, the Commission on Criminal Sentencing Policy, public advocates, and representatives from justice reform and crime victims' advocacy groups. This commission will study and make recommendations on issues such as the disparate treatment of African Americans, Hispanics, and other non-White individuals within the state's criminal justice system, including how policing, arrests, charging, pretrial detention, sentencing, and prosecution may lead to cumulative impacts. It will also examine ways to improve racial disparities and transparency, explore race-neutral risk and needs assessments, consider increasing judicial discretion at sentencing, review the felony murder doctrine, and assess programs aimed at reducing prison populations and recidivism, while also improving data collection methods to monitor racial disparities. The commission is required to hold public hearings and submit an interim report by October 1, 2027, and a final report by September 1, 2028, with the act set to take effect on July 1, 2026, and expire on June 30, 2029.