Mandatory minimum sentences became popular in the 1990s, a time when law and order lawmakers added so many offenses to the list that Virginia prisons strained to accommodate all the inmates.

A sweeping criminal justice proposal moving through Virginia’s Democratic-led legislature is sparking sharp debate over whether the state should loosen ...

Virginia Democrats propose eliminating minimum prison sentences for violent crimes including rape and manslaughter, sparking widespread controversy and debate.

WASHINGTON — As London Teeter took the podium inside the Elijah Barrett Prettyman United States Court House, nerves were high. "I actually have a really big fear of public speaking,” Teeter said. But ...