VA Legislature at Halfway Point
Mental Health Bills Advance Several mental health bills we support are moving forward. This week the Senate begins hearing bills approved by the House and vice versa, and we are pleased to see several initiatives that improve mental health are still alive. A few of...
When a Call for Help Gets You Jail Time
Current practice counterproductive, worsens illness Proposals from Senator Jennifer Boysko and Delegate Vivian Watts in the Virginia legislative session attempt to fix one of the broken ways we respond to someone who needs help (SB 357, HB 267). Their introduced...
Suicide is a Crime in Virginia… Since When?
By Kylie Hobson Suicide has been a common law crime in Virginia since it was a British colony; HB 81 is trying to finally change that. Even though the term “suicide” is nowhere in the Virginia criminal code, voluntarily taking one’s own life is still a crime in...