Opening Statements - Candidates for Richmond commonwealth’s attorney make their cases

Two Democrats will compete to be the city’s next commonwealth’s attorney in this month’s primary election, with no expected Republican challengers come fall. Colette McEachin, the incumbent, [...]

Jun 1, 2021

Audio Interview: Tom Barbour, candidate for Richmond City Commonwealth Attorney

Tom Barbour Jr. is a Democrat running for the commonwealth attorney position in Richmond. Barbour previously served in the military in Iraq and as an assistant commonwealth’s attorney under Mike Herring [...]

May 24, 2021

How will Chauvin verdict affect policing in Richmond Region?

The nation watched as Derek Chauvin knelt on George Floyd’s neck, and then held its breath as the jury’s verdicts were announced: The white former police officer was guilty of all three charges he faced in the death of the Black man from Minneapolis. [...]

Apr 23, 2021

Tom Barbour's Ask Me Anything (AMA)

The United States currently imprisons over 2.3 million people, the result of which is that this country is currently home to about 25% of the world’s incarcerated people while comprising less than 5% of its population. [...]

Apr 5, 2021

Veteran, challenger talk reform in Democratic primary for commonwealth’s attorney

Criminal justice reform is the common theme of the two Democrats competing to be Richmond’s chief prosecutor, or commonwealth’s attorney [...]

May 27, 2021

MUNICIPAL MANIA Episode 124 - "Barbour/McEachin DEM RVA CA Race"

We speak with Richmond's Democratic Candidates for Commonwealth's attorney Tom Barbour and incumbent Colette McEachin ahead of the June 8 primary. [...]

May 12, 2021

Commonwealth's Attorney Candidates Clash over Incarceration, Protests

RICHMOND – Tom Barbour and Collette McEachin have completely different visions of what Richmond’s Commonwealth’s Attorney should do.

At a candidate forum hosted by the Richmond Crusade for Voters, a civic organization with its roots in fighting against segregation and voter suppression [...]

Apr 23, 2021

Style Weekly’s Top 40 Under 40

Why do people break the law? Understanding why someone commits a crime isn’t about dividing people into groups of good vs. evil, says Tom Barbour, a Marine veteran and former assistant commonwealth’s attorney in Richmond. [...]

Oct 22, 2019

Will the progressive prosecutor movement come to Richmond?

When a group of prosecutors representing some of Virginia’s biggest localities banded together to pursue criminal justice reform initiatives last year, one large, heavily Democratic city was conspicuously absent. [...]

May 27, 2021

RVA Justice Hub brings an innovative, social services approach to public safety

During his time in the United States Marine Corps., Tom Barbour experienced many things. But one in particular was the catalyst for his decision to bring innovation to Richmond's criminal justice system. [...]

May 3, 2021

A New Approach to Ending Mass Incarceration

Virginia spends over a billion tax dollars each year to lock-up more than 37,000 people in the criminal justice system.

In Richmond, a team of young volunteers set out to change that situation by addressing the social needs of people charged with crimes. [...]

Apr 13, 2021

Interview with Tom Barbour

Host Don Harrison speaks with Tom Barbour, the founder and executive director of the Virginia Holistic Justice Initiative, which seeks to end incarceration for non-violent offenders. Barbour, a former prosecutor, is also throwing his hat in the ring to become Richmond's next commonwealth's attorney.

Jan 22, 2021