Virginia Democrats’ Early Release Program Has Victimized Thousands — And Jay Jones Wants to Make It Worse
Virginia Democrats’ radical early release program is not just a misguided idea—it’s a public safety disaster. The so-called “second chances” program has victimized thousands of Virginians, including 53 who were murdered, 24 who were raped, and hundreds more who were assaulted, abducted, or robbed—all because Democrats prioritized criminals over victims.
Attorney General Jason Miyares put it bluntly in a recent Substack article: “Second chances are indeed important, but second chances should never make victims feel second class.” But under Virginia Democrats’ reckless early release scheme, that’s exactly what happened.
Here’s the number Jay Jones and Virginia Democrats don’t want you to know: In just the first 18 months of Democrats’ early release experiment 7,356 Virginians have been victimized by criminals who should have been behind bars.
That number includes: 53 murders, 6 manslaughter cases, 24 rapes, 104 robberies, 471 felony assaults, 33 arsons, 66 DUIs, 152 abductions, 220 weapons charges, 69 sexual assaults, 794 cases of larceny and fraud, 214 burglaries, and 3,629 property crimes
These victims are not “one-offs” as Virginia Democrats have shamefully suggested. This is a horrific pattern of chaos and violence directly caused by radical criminal-first, victim-last policies that Democrats continue to defend.
Jay Jones helped turn criminals loose on our communities, and now he’s trying to hide from the consequences.
The most harrowing example? A violent sex offender named Daniel Vanover, released early under this program, went on to groom and repeatedly rape a 5th-grade girl. Eleven convictions followed—but the damage was already done. As Miyares said, “Once more, we have another example of how advocacy for the absurd… leads Democrats into defending the atrocious.”
Jay Jones has a long record of siding with criminals over victims:
- He helped write legislation to grant early release to every violent criminal in Virginia.
- He voted to allow murderers and rapists to be eligible for early parole.
- He voted against mandatory jail time for serial domestic abusers.
- He voted against mandatory sentences for drug dealers who sell near schools.
- He voted against making it a felony to sell fentanyl that kills someone.
And that’s just the start. Go to softjayjones.com to read the full radical story.
If Jay Jones becomes Virginia’s top law enforcement official, these numbers won’t improve—they’ll explode.
Contrast that with the results under Attorney General Jason Miyares:
- Murder down 30% statewide
- Violent crime down 11%
- Ceasefire cities responsible for 66% of the murder reduction
Those aren’t talking points—they’re outcomes. “This is neither theory nor wishful thinking,” Miyares said. “But results that come through the defense of victims rather than at victims’ expense.”
Virginia voters face a clear choice this November. Do we want a criminal-first agenda from radical Democrats like Jay Jones, or do we want proven law-and-order leadership that puts victims first and keeps our families safe?
