Following the national wave of outcries about racial injustice in the summer of 2020, WUU joined a concerned group of local residents and organizations to form the WJCC Coalition for Community Justice to pursue justice and equity for all people in every aspect of the criminal legal system. The Coalition believes it is vital that we start by focusing efforts on ending sustained violence against Black individuals and other people of color by law enforcement officers. The group is working to create an empowered local civilian oversight board to address complaints about interactions with the Williamsburg or James City County police that individuals felt were unjust, inappropriate, or mishandled.

To help demonstrate the need for an oversight board, the Coalition is collecting stories from community members that may have had these negative experiences. Please support the Coalition’s efforts by completing the survey or by sharing the survey link with others that may have had these experiences. The survey can be found at https://wmsas.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8ojM7QteAkL9Xsp. We also invite you to join the Coalition, which meets via Zoom every other Wednesday at 7 pm. For questions or more information about getting involved, please email wjcc.ccj@gmail.com.

Our court watch program monitors our local criminal justice system to increase transparency in our court system and combat mass incarceration. Court watch volunteers observe first arraignments and bond hearings in local courts to collect data for issue analysis and advocacy. We have volunteer observers in the court nearly every day of the month. This data helps identify racial and economic disparities in the court system and tracks the unjust use of secured bond. For more information or to volunteer, email sjchair@wuu.org.

Volunteers from WUU offer two courses at the Virginia Peninsula Regional Jail. The Coping with Anger program focuses on teaching and practicing anger management skills. The People and Stories course invites underserved participants to find fresh understandings of themselves, of others, and of the world through oral readings and rigorous discussions of enduring short stories.

WUU is part of a consortium of organizations from across the state working to improve the pretrial process in Virginia to achieve a fair and just system for all. We draft legislation, advocate with state leaders, and plan joint action to affect change.

In partnership with more than 50 organizations, WUU is advocating for the protection of everyone behind bars in all facilities within the Commonwealth of Virginia from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. We promote the use of evidence, data, and compassion and recognize all as human beings deserving of health and safety. We are calling for the release of as many people as possible, as quickly as possible, and that state officials have transparency and oversight in their response to COVID-19 in jails and prisons.

This program provides an opportunity to live out our Unitarian Universalist values by matching individuals with incarcerated pen pals. We believe that we are all deeply connected, and, despite our behaviors, our inherent worth remains unchanged. Writing to a pen pal is a chance to share messages of hope, provide a connection to the outside, and make an impact in someone’s life. To learn more and sign up, visit https://worthynow.org/pen-pals/.