WaPo: “Virginia has agreed to pay nearly $1.6 million to settle a class-action lawsuit brought on behalf of more than 50 people who were held in prison beyond their release dates, in some cases for more than a year, federal court records show.
…The dispute arose after the Virginia General Assembly passed a law in 2020, signed by Gov. Ralph Northam (D), changing the way certain prisoners received credit for good behavior and enabling some to shave years off their sentences. The law was part of the movement to overhaul criminal justice in the wake of the murder of George Floyd.
But when Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) and Attorney General Jason S. Miyares (R) took office in 2022, they took steps to limit the number of people eligible for the reduced sentences. Even after the Virginia Supreme Court ordered one man released in July 2023, the state Department of Corrections continued to hold some people beyond their release dates.”