Virginia

In Virginia the Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) sets training standards for jail officers and Department of Corrections (DOC) correctional officers, and decertifies jail officers through the same system as law-enforcement officers; DOC officers are outside that system. The State Board of Local and Regional Jails sets jail standards. Since 2023 the State has limited restorative housing in state prisons, restricted patrol canines, created a DOC Ombudsman, extended restraint limits for pregnant prisoners to local jails, adopted conduct standards for certified jail officers, and required pregnancy and restraint data reporting.

Sources checked
Part of
Corrections Ledger

At a glance

Certifying body
DCJS, under the Criminal Justice Services Board, sets compulsory minimum entry-level and in-service training standards for jail officers and deputy sheriffs and for DOC correctional officers (6VAC20-50; 6VAC20-100; 6VAC20-30), and certifies and decertifies jail officers along with law-enforcement officers (Va. Code 15.2-1707, 15.2-1708); see the Virginia Officer Ledger page. DOC correctional officers must meet DCJS training standards, but decertification covers “certified law-enforcement officers and certified jail officers” only. The State Board of Local and Regional Jails sets jail operating standards; DOC runs state prisons and probation and parole.
Statute
Va. Code 9.1-102 (DCJS powers); 15.2-1705 to 15.2-1708 (qualifications and decertification); Title 53.1: 53.1-5 (State Board of Local and Regional Jails), 53.1-17.2 to 53.1-17.10 (DOC Ombudsman), 53.1-39.1 and 53.1-39.2 (restorative housing), 53.1-39.3 (canines), 53.1-40.11 to 53.1-40.16 (pregnant prisoners in state prisons), 53.1-68 (jail standards), 53.1-133.06 to 53.1-133.010 (pregnant prisoners in jails), and chapter 4 (probation and parole). Rules: 6VAC20-30, -50, -65, and -100.
Minimum standards
Deputy sheriffs and jail officers must be U.S. citizens, at least 18, with a high school education or equivalent, a fingerprint-based state and FBI background check, a physical exam after a conditional offer, and no felony conviction; since 2013, also no misdemeanor involving moral turpitude, misdemeanor sex offense, or domestic assault. Hiring agencies must request prior employers’ records (Va. Code 15.2-1705). A “jail officer” is a sworn employee of a local correctional facility, other than a deputy sheriff, whose normal duties are custody of prisoners; a “correctional officer” is a sworn DOC employee with those duties in a state facility (53.1-1). No statutory hiring minimums specific to DOC correctional officers were found.
Basic training
Jail officers and deputy sheriffs must complete DCJS compulsory minimum training and field training within 12 months of appointment (6VAC20-50-40). DOC correctional officers must complete the DCJS standards for DOC correctional officers and field training within 12 months (6VAC20-100-40). The standards are written as performance outcomes, not total hours. Since July 1, 2025, entry-level training for jail staff who may have contact with pregnant prisoners must cover care of pregnant women and the effects of restraints, restrictive housing or solitary confinement, and body cavity searches on them (53.1-133.09).
In-service training
Jailors or custodial officers: 24 hours, including 2 hours of cultural diversity and 4 hours of legal training (6VAC20-30-30(B)). DOC correctional officers in the Division of Operations follow the 40-hour law-enforcement standard: 2 hours cultural diversity, 4 legal, 34 career development or electives (6VAC20-30-20(D), -30(A)). Both are due by December 31 of the second calendar year after entry training and every other calendar year after that (6VAC20-30-40). All jail staff must review policies on restraining pregnant prisoners every year (53.1-133.09).
Decertification
Jail officers are decertified through the law-enforcement system: on an agency’s notice of listed convictions, training failures, drug-test results, or misconduct separations, the Criminal Justice Services Board “shall immediately decertify,” with DCJS review under the Administrative Process Act (Va. Code 15.2-1707, 15.2-1708, as revised effective July 1, 2024); details are on the Officer Ledger page. Since February 1, 2026, certified jail officers must follow statewide conduct standards (6VAC20-65-20). No public list: decertification records for an identifiable officer “shall not be disclosed” under FOIA (15.2-1708(F)). DOC correctional officers are not in this system.
Jail standards
State Board of Local and Regional Jails, 11 members since 2023. It develops operational and fiscal standards for local, regional, and community correctional facilities, reviews inmate deaths, and sets health care standards with quarterly quality reports (Va. Code 53.1-5). It sets minimum standards for construction, equipment, administration, and operation of local facilities and must make at least one unannounced inspection of each facility a year, with an exception in certification-audit years (53.1-68). The Board sits within DOC for administration.
Probation and parole officers
DOC’s state probation and parole officers supervise people on probation and parole (Va. Code 53.1-145). They are DOC employees trained under DCJS standards for DOC personnel; no separate DCJS certification or decertification for them was found. After arresting a probationer without a warrant, the officer must, within three business days, file the written statement and case numbers with the Commonwealth’s attorney and the circuit court clerk and ask the sentencing court to promptly issue a capias or bench warrant (53.1-149(B), amended 2025, ch. 412).
Restrictive housing
Since July 1, 2023, a person in a state facility may be placed in “restorative housing” only (i) on request with informed voluntary consent, (ii) for the person’s own protection, (iii) to prevent an imminent threat of physical harm, or (iv) when the person’s behavior threatens orderly operation. People in restorative housing must be offered at least four hours a day of out-of-cell programming or group activity, except in exceptional circumstances or a lockdown; placements are reviewed weekly with a written reason why a less restrictive setting could not be used and a transition plan; and medical and mental health evaluations are due within one workday (Va. Code 53.1-39.2). DOC reports restrictive housing data every year by October 1 (53.1-39.1). No statute governs restrictive housing in local jails, apart from the training on its effects on pregnant prisoners (53.1-133.09).
Corrections use of force
Canines: since July 1, 2024, state correctional staff may not use a patrol or security canine unless they reasonably believe it is immediately necessary to protect a prisoner, officer, or employee from serious bodily injury or death, or have prior approval of the warden or a supervisor to intervene in an incident among three or more prisoners; a warning is required if feasible, and DOC must track and publish all canine uses of force (53.1-39.3). Pregnant prisoners: state prisons may not use leg restraints, rear wrist restraints, or restraints connecting inmates on known-pregnant prisoners without an individualized risk finding, and restrict restraints in postpartum recovery (53.1-40.12, 53.1-40.13, since 2020). Since July 1, 2025, jails may restrain a prisoner known to be pregnant, in labor or delivery, or in postpartum recovery only on an individualized determination of harm, flight risk, or serious security risk, using the least restrictive restraint. For restraints during labor, delivery, or postpartum recovery, the officer must report by the end of the shift and the supervisor to the sheriff or superintendent within 72 hours (53.1-133.07(B), 53.1-133.08).

Changes, 2023 to 2026

  • Prisons and jails must report pregnancy, postpartum, and restraint data

    2026 Acts ch. 685 (HB 861), amending Va. Code 53.1-40.14 and adding 53.1-133.010Effective July 1, 2026; the session summary notes no delayed effective date

    State prisons housing women must compile a monthly summary (53.1-40.14). Each quarter, jails must send the State Board of Local and Regional Jails a summary of all written reports under 53.1-133.07 and 53.1-133.08, which cover restraint use on pregnant or postpartum prisoners and body cavity searches of pregnant prisoners. They must also submit to the Compensation Board, through the Local Inmate Data System, counts of known-pregnant prisoners, prisoners in postpartum recovery, women prisoners, total prisoners, and deaths of pregnant or postpartum prisoners. “Data received pursuant to this subsection shall be shared by the Compensation Board with the Maternal Mortality Review Team” and the Courts of Justice committee chairs (53.1-133.010). The Division of Legislative Services summary describes the jail counts as going to the Board; the codified text sends them to the Compensation Board.

    For corrections staff: Each restraint report you file on a pregnant or postpartum prisoner now feeds a quarterly summary to the state jail board.

    Va. Code 53.1-133.010 DLS 2026 Session Summary

  • Jail board must set standards on inmates’ access to counsel

    2026 Acts ch. 73 (HB 126), adding Va. Code 53.1-68(D)Effective July 1, 2026; the session summary notes no delayed effective date; standards due January 1, 2027

    “The Board shall establish standards to ensure access to counsel, including access to attorneys, paralegals, investigators, and other legal staff, for inmates held in any local, regional, or community correctional facility,” following the Administrative Process Act. The standards must require, subject to safety, space, and resource constraints, in-person confidential access inside the facility and secure telephone or video access “that is not recorded or monitored by any person,” available during regular business hours and at least some evenings and weekend days each week. Facility procedures for requesting and scheduling access must be publicly posted, counsel must be promptly told of a delayed, canceled, or restricted visit, and any denial or postponement must be approved by a supervisor in the facility with a rationale, given in writing on counsel’s request. The Division of Legislative Services summary gives January 1, 2027 as the deadline for the standards.

    For corrections staff: Once the standards are adopted, a supervisor must approve any denial or postponement of a legal visit and record the reason.

    Va. Code 53.1-68 DLS 2026 Session Summary

  • Statewide standards of conduct for certified jail officers

    6VAC20-65-10 to -40 (new), Virginia Register vol. 42, iss. 10Effective February 1, 2026

    DCJS’s final regulation under Va. Code 9.1-102(60) sets professional standards of conduct and due process for decertification based on serious misconduct. “All certified law-enforcement officers and certified jail officers must comply with the following standards,” which include obeying federal and state law and agency policy, treating all persons with dignity, preserving life, and upholding public trust.

    For corrections staff: Jail officers can be decertified for serious misconduct as this rule defines it, not only for criminal convictions.

    6VAC20-65-20 Virginia Register vol. 42, iss. 10

  • Jails: restraint limits for pregnant and postpartum prisoners and required staff training

    2025 Acts ch. 698 (HB 2235), new Va. Code 53.1-133.06 to 53.1-133.09Effective July 1, 2025; the session summary notes no delayed effective date

    Extends to local and regional jails restraint limits like those already in place in state prisons. Restraints on a prisoner known to be pregnant need an individualized determination by a deputy sheriff or jail officer of harm, flight risk, or serious security risk, must be the least restrictive available, and must be removed at a treating provider’s request if they threaten health (53.1-133.07(A)). Restraints during labor, delivery, or postpartum recovery also require an end-of-shift report by the officer and a report by the supervisor to the sheriff or superintendent within 72 hours (53.1-133.07(B), 53.1-133.08(A)). A body cavity search by an employee who is not a licensed provider is allowed only on “a reasonable belief that such prisoner is concealing contraband,” with a written report to the sheriff or superintendent within 72 hours (53.1-133.07(C)). Pregnant prisoners get the lowest bed. DCJS entry-level training for jail staff who may have contact with pregnant prisoners must cover pregnancy care and the effects of restraints, restrictive housing or solitary confinement, and cavity searches, and “All staff shall annually review policies related to restraining pregnant prisoners” (53.1-133.09).

    For corrections staff: Restraint during labor, delivery, or postpartum recovery needs an individualized finding and an end-of-shift written report.

    Va. Code 53.1-133.07 Va. Code 53.1-133.09 DLS 2025 Session Summary

  • Decertification overhaul covers jail officers

    2024 Acts ch. 494 (SB 88), amending Va. Code 15.2-1707 and 15.2-1708Effective July 1, 2024

    Revises decertification for law-enforcement and jail officers: wider mandatory reporting of terminations and resignations, including for acts that are exculpatory or impeachment evidence; DCJS decertification review hearings under the Administrative Process Act, with appeal to the Board and then to court; and FOIA closure of decertification records for an identifiable officer. DCJS says the procedures “have been revised due to the passage of SB88(2024). Updates became effective on July 1, 2024.”

    For corrections staff: A jail officer who resigns during a serious-misconduct investigation can still be reported and decertified.

    2024 Acts ch. 494 DCJS decertification page

  • Limits on patrol canines in state prisons; public tracking of canine force

    2024 Acts ch. 99 (HB 159), new Va. Code 53.1-39.3Approved March 20, 2024; effective July 1, 2024

    State correctional staff may not use a patrol or security canine unless they reasonably believe it is immediately necessary to protect a prisoner or staff member from serious bodily injury or death, or they have prior approval of the warden or a supervisor to intervene in an altercation among three or more prisoners. “If feasible, the correctional officer shall provide a warning to the subject of any canine use of force prior to the deployment of a canine.” DOC must publish canine policies and handler training requirements and track and publicly report every canine use of force and every incident where canines were present or requested. Detector canines and escape tracking are excluded. The act also bars patrol canines in juvenile correctional facilities.

    For corrections staff: K-9 handlers need an immediate threat of serious injury or a supervisor’s approval for a fight among three or more prisoners, and every deployment is publicly reported.

    2024 Acts ch. 99 Va. Code 53.1-39.3

  • DOC Ombudsman and Corrections Oversight Committee created

    2024 Acts chs. 392 (HB 555) and 393 (SB 456), new Va. Code 53.1-17.2 to 53.1-17.10Approved April 4, 2024; effective July 1, 2024

    Creates an Office of the DOC Ombudsman in the Office of the State Inspector General and a Corrections Oversight Committee. The Office monitors conditions, investigates complaints, reports every year, and must inspect each state facility at least once every three years, and every year for maximum security facilities and facilities where it finds cause for more frequent inspection. It must keep personal identifying information about corrections staff confidential, and may not further disclose staff identifying information it receives that is unrelated to an investigation. “Prior to the disclosure of any such information, the Office shall provide notice to the applicable staff person and the Director.” The Office must enter a memorandum of agreement with DOC on coordination with employees.

    For corrections staff: Expect Ombudsman inspections and interviews; your identity is protected unless relevant to an investigation, and you get notice before any disclosure.

    2024 Acts ch. 392 Va. Code 53.1-17.2

  • Restorative housing limited to four grounds, with four hours a day out of cell

    2023 Acts chs. 392 (HB 2487) and 393 (SB 887), new Va. Code 53.1-39.2Effective July 1, 2023

    Restorative housing, defined as special purpose bed assignments operated under maximum security regulations, is allowed in state facilities only on request with informed consent, for the person’s own protection, to prevent an imminent threat of physical harm, or when behavior threatens orderly operation. Protective placements get activities similar to general population and a chance to contest removal. “An incarcerated person who has been placed in restorative housing shall be offered a minimum of four hours of out-of-cell programmatic interventions or other congregate activities per day,” except in exceptional circumstances or a lockdown. Weekly reviews with written reasons, a documented transition plan, and medical and mental health evaluations within one workday are required.

    For corrections staff: Document the statutory basis, the weekly review, and the daily out-of-cell offers for every restorative housing placement.

    2023 Acts ch. 392 Va. Code 53.1-39.2

  • State Board of Local and Regional Jails expanded to 11 members

    2023 Acts chs. 657 (HB 2438) and 658 (SB 797), amending Va. Code 53.1-2Effective July 1, 2023

    The Board that sets and enforces jail standards, “which shall consist of 11 residents of the Commonwealth,” grows from nine members, adding seats for a former sheriff and a former superintendent of a regional jail among other required appointees.

    For corrections staff: Jail operators have designated former-sheriff and former-superintendent seats on the standards board.

    2023 Acts ch. 657 Va. Code 53.1-2

  • Designated DOC employees may carry and give naloxone

    2023 Acts ch. 115 (HB 1709); identical SB 1424Effective July 1, 2023

    “Adds employees of the Department of Corrections designated by the Director of the Department to the list of persons who are authorized to possess and administer naloxone or other opioid antagonists.” Before, only DOC employees designated as probation and parole officers or as correctional officers had that authority (DLS 2023 Session Summary).

    For corrections staff: Counselors, medical staff, and other DOC employees who are not officers can be designated to carry naloxone.

    HB 1709 bill history DLS 2023 Session Summary

Enacted, not yet in force, pending, and bills that did not pass

  • Public employee collective bargaining (HB 1263 / SB 378, 2026): the 2026 Session Summary lists both as passed with Governor’s recommendations. They repeal the prohibition on collective bargaining by public employees, create a Public Employee Relations Board to set bargaining units and run certification and decertification elections for state and local government employees, and require good-faith bargaining on wages, hours, and other terms. The summary says that, except for emergency rulemaking, the provisions have a delayed effective date of January 1, 2027; regulations are due by July 1, 2028, and until then no petitions or elections may take place except under a local ordinance or resolution adopted under current law. The chapter numbers were not confirmed. The current Code section, Va. Code 40.1-57.2, still bars bargaining and, in subsection D, bars constitutional officers such as sheriffs and their employees from it; whether the acts reach DOC officers, probation and parole officers, or sheriffs’ jail staff was not confirmed from the enacted text. DLS 2026 Session Summary
  • Attorney communication with jail inmates (HB 1392 / SB 83, 2026): listed as passed with Governor’s recommendations. A telephonic, electronic, or web-based communication system that a sheriff or jail superintendent offers prisoners must include a confidential means for a prisoner to communicate with the prisoner’s attorney at regular and reasonable times; the bills also change courthouse security screening for attorneys. The final chapter and effective date were not confirmed. DLS 2026 Session Summary
  • Jail Board work group (report due November 1, 2026): 2026 HB 1421 directs a work group to study moving the State Board of Local and Regional Jails out of DOC to another agency or an independent oversight body.
  • Jail standards on access to counsel (due January 1, 2027): the State Board of Local and Regional Jails must adopt the access-to-counsel standards that 2026 HB 126 (2026 Acts ch. 73, Va. Code 53.1-68(D)) requires; see the July 1, 2026 entry. The deadline is from the Division of Legislative Services summary; whether the Board has adopted them was not checked.
  • Jail lactation standards (due December 1, 2028): 2026 HB 860 requires the Board to set them.

Carried over to the 2027 Session: 2026 HB 35 (ban on “isolated confinement” in state prisons, with reviews every two business days) and HB 1508 (State Police to investigate serious violent incidents in DOC facilities that result in the death of an inmate or officer, and suspected inmate suicides). Passed and vetoed: isolated confinement bills in 2024 (HB 1244 / SB 719) and 2025 (HB 2647 / SB 1409), and 2025 HB 1894 (a 65 to 80 degree temperature range in state prisons). DLS 2026 Session Summary

Checked and unchanged

  • Va. Code 15.2-1708 (decertification notice and review) lists 2026 Acts chs. 798 and 828 in its history, and its current text allows notice “by certified mail or trackable courier service with signature requirement.” What those chapters changed was not compared.
  • 2025 and 2026 chapter texts were not read directly: the legacy LIS host returned “document does not exist” for 2025 chapters. Entries for those years rest on current Code text, Code history citations, and the Division of Legislative Services session summaries.
  • Not verified: 2026 HB 1441 / SB 783 (limits on federal immigration agreements, with an exception for detainer transfers of violent felons from correctional facilities); 2025 HB 2105 (regional jails must report acts of violence to police and file investigation policies with the Board); 2025 SB 1283 (no new private management contracts for prisons and regional jails without General Assembly approval); and 2024 HB 611 (in-custody death reporting). Each is listed as passed in a session summary, but its final status or codified text was not checked.

Bills in the legislature

Bills in the current session whose title concerns corrections officers, jails, probation and parole, and conditions of confinement, found automatically in LegiScan's copy of the legislature's records and refreshed daily (last on October 21, 2026). This list is not reviewed by an editor and is not a summary of the bills; each links to the legislature's own page, which controls. Bills that become law are added to the dated entries above once checked.

The law, section by section

Every section of the statutes and rules this page relies on that could be read from an official source, 118 in all, each linked to the official text. Headings are copied from the official tables of contents, checked October 21, 2026.

Code of Virginia: DCJS powers, jail officer qualifications and decertification, and Title 53.1 corrections provisions (selected sections and chapter 4)Statute · 86 sections

Official text current through Virginia Law (LIS, Division of Legislative Automated Systems), Code of Virginia chapter pages showing the versions now in effect (read 2026-10-21). Partial lists: only the sections the page cites are listed from Title 9.1 chapter 1, Title 15.2 chapter 17, and Title 53.1 chapters 1 to 3; Title 53.1 chapter 4 (probation and parole) is listed whole. Repealed and expired sections are omitted, as are versions not yet in effect (9.1-102 and several chapter 4 sections have versions effective July 1, 2027 or July 1, 2028); 53.1-5 appears in two versions tied to a contingent date in Acts 2026, cc. 992 and 1081, and both are listed. Va. Code 9.1-102, 15.2-1705 to -1708, 53.1-1, -5, -17.2 to -17.10, -39.1 to -39.3, -40.11 to -40.16, -68, -133.06 to -133.010, and Title 53.1, ch. 4, official text

TITLE 9.1, CHAPTER 1. DEPARTMENT OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE SERVICES: ARTICLE 1. GENERAL PROVISIONS

  • 9.1-102 (Effective until July 1, 2027) Powers and duties of the Board and the Department

TITLE 15.2, CHAPTER 17. POLICE AND PUBLIC ORDER: ARTICLE 1. GENERAL PROVISIONS

  • 15.2-1705 Minimum qualifications; waiver
  • 15.2-1706 Certification through training required for all law-enforcement officers; waiver of requirements
  • 15.2-1707 Decertification of law-enforcement officers and jail officers
  • 15.2-1708 Notice of decertification; decertification review process

TITLE 53.1, CHAPTER 1. ADMINISTRATION GENERALLY: ARTICLE 1. GENERAL PROVISIONS

TITLE 53.1, CHAPTER 1. ADMINISTRATION GENERALLY: ARTICLE 2. STATE BOARD OF LOCAL AND REGIONAL JAILS

  • 53.1-5 (For contingent expiration date, see Acts 2026, cc. 992 and 1081, cl. 3) Powers and duties of Board
  • 53.1-5 (For contingent effective date, see Acts 2026, cc. 992 and 1081, cl. 3) Powers and duties of Board

TITLE 53.1, CHAPTER 1. ADMINISTRATION GENERALLY: ARTICLE 4. OFFICE OF THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS OMBUDSMAN

  • 53.1-17.2 Office of the Department of Corrections Ombudsman; powers and duties
  • 53.1-17.3 Corrections Oversight Committee; membership; authority
  • 53.1-17.4 Access to facilities and records
  • 53.1-17.5 Communications; confidentiality
  • 53.1-17.6 Inspection authority; inspection and assessment; report; safety and compliance classification
  • 53.1-17.7 Authority to investigate complaints
  • 53.1-17.8 Annual report
  • 53.1-17.9 Inmate and family support services
  • 53.1-17.10 Exhaustion of remedies

TITLE 53.1, CHAPTER 2. STATE CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES: ARTICLE 2. TREATMENT AND PRIVILEGES OF PRISONERS

  • 53.1-39.1 Restrictive housing; data collection and reporting; report
  • 53.1-39.2 Restorative housing; restrictions on use
  • 53.1-39.3 Use of canines in state correctional facilities; prohibited acts; policies and regulations made public; incidents of use of canines reported; exception

TITLE 53.1, CHAPTER 2. STATE CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES: ARTICLE 2.2. TREATMENT AND CONTROL OF PRISONERS KNOWN TO BE PREGNANT

TITLE 53.1, CHAPTER 3. LOCAL CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES: ARTICLE 1. ESTABLISHMENT AND REGULATION OF FACILITIES

  • 53.1-68 Minimum standards for local correctional facilities and lock-ups; health inspections, behavioral health services inspections, and personnel; access to counsel for inmates in local, regional, or community correctional facilities

TITLE 53.1, CHAPTER 3. LOCAL CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES: ARTICLE 7.1. TREATMENT OF PRISONERS KNOWN TO BE PREGNANT

  • 53.1-133.06 Definitions
  • 53.1-133.07 Treatment of prisoners known to be pregnant
  • 53.1-133.08 Treatment of prisoners during postpartum recovery
  • 53.1-133.09 Training of deputy sheriffs and jail officers regarding pregnant prisoners

TITLE 53.1, CHAPTER 3. LOCAL CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES: ARTICLE 7. PRISONER PROGRAMS AND TREATMENT

TITLE 53.1, CHAPTER 4. PROBATION AND PAROLE: ARTICLE 1. ADMINISTRATION GENERALLY

  • 53.1-134 (Effective until July 1, 2028) Virginia Parole Board; appointment of members
  • 53.1-134.1 Board decisions; voting requirements
  • 53.1-135 Chairman; Vice-Chairman of Board
  • 53.1-136 (Effective until July 1, 2027) Powers and duties of Board; notice of release of certain inmates; report
  • 53.1-137 Revocation hearings and subpoenas; penalty for disobeying subpoena or hindering hearing
  • 53.1-138 Access to prisoners; reports of prison officials
  • 53.1-139 Powers and duties of Chairman
  • 53.1-140 Powers and duties of Director of Department
  • 53.1-140.1 Department to provide services

TITLE 53.1, CHAPTER 4. PROBATION AND PAROLE: ARTICLE 2. STATE PROBATION AND PAROLE SERVICES

  • 53.1-141 Division into probation and parole districts
  • 53.1-142 Assignments of officers to districts
  • 53.1-143 How officers authorized
  • 53.1-144 Term of officers
  • 53.1-145 Powers and duties of probation and parole officers
  • 53.1-146 Use of officers as to persons convicted of local violations; payment of expenses
  • 53.1-147 Compensation; expenses
  • 53.1-148 Transfer of supervision from one probation officer to another
  • 53.1-149 Arrest of probationer without warrant; written statement; timeframe for service of process
  • 53.1-150 Contributions by persons on parole, probation, and work release
  • 53.1-150.1 Contribution by persons on parole

TITLE 53.1, CHAPTER 4. PROBATION AND PAROLE: ARTICLE 3. PROCEDURES GOVERNING PAROLE

  • 53.1-151 Eligibility for parole
  • 53.1-152 Eligibility of persons sentenced for combinations of felony and misdemeanor offenses
  • 53.1-153 Eligibility of persons sentenced to jails for more than twelve months
  • 53.1-154 (Effective until July 1, 2027) Times at which Virginia Parole Board to review cases
  • 53.1-154.1 (Effective until July 1, 2027) Authority of Director to recommend parole review; release upon review
  • 53.1-154.2 Parole procedures and considerations for certain juvenile offenders; appeal
  • 53.1-155 (Effective until July 1, 2027) Investigation prior to release; transition assistance
  • 53.1-155.1 Participation in residential community program prior to final release
  • 53.1-156 Period of parole; not counted as part of term
  • 53.1-157 Parolees to comply with terms; furnishing copies
  • 53.1-158 Release of prisoner subject to parole
  • 53.1-159 Mandatory release on parole
  • 53.1-160 Notice to be given upon prisoner release, escape, etc
  • 53.1-160.1 Department to give notice of Sex Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registry requirements to certain prisoners
  • 53.1-161 Arrest and return of parolee; warrant; release pending adjudication of violation
  • 53.1-162 Arrest of parolee without warrant; written statement
  • 53.1-163 Parolee considered as escapee after issuance of warrant
  • 53.1-164 Procedure for return of parolee
  • 53.1-165 Revocation of parole; hearing; procedure for parolee in another state; appointment of attorney
  • 53.1-165.1 Limitation on the application of parole statutes

TITLE 53.1, CHAPTER 4. PROBATION AND PAROLE: ARTICLE 4. UNIFORM ACT FOR OUT-OF-STATE PAROLEE SUPERVISION

TITLE 53.1, CHAPTER 4. PROBATION AND PAROLE: ARTICLE 5. VIRGINIA MODEL INTERSTATE PAROLE AND PROBATION HEARINGS ACT

  • 53.1-168 Procedure when reincarceration of out-of-state parolee or probationer should be considered
  • 53.1-169 Who may hold hearings; procedures therefor
  • 53.1-170 Rights of parolee or probationer at hearing
  • 53.1-171 Record of hearing
  • 53.1-172 Hearings for parolees, probationers or felons serving a period of postrelease supervision being supervised in another state
  • 53.1-173 Preliminary hearings for out-of-state parolees in Virginia
  • 53.1-174 Preliminary hearings by other states
  • 53.1-175 Revocation of parole by Virginia
  • 53.1-176 Revocation of parole by other states

TITLE 53.1, CHAPTER 4. PROBATION AND PAROLE: ARTICLE 6. THE INTERSTATE COMPACT FOR THE SUPERVISION OF ADULT OFFENDERS

  • 53.1-176.1 Enactment of the Interstate Compact for the Supervision of Adult Offenders
  • 53.1-176.2 Short title; Governor to execute; form of compact
  • 53.1-176.3 Virginia State Council for Interstate Adult Offender Supervision
Virginia Administrative Code, Title 6, Agency 20 (Criminal Justice Services Board), Chapters 30, 50, 65, and 100Rules · 32 sections

Official text current through Virginia Administrative Code on Virginia Law (LIS) chapter pages (read 2026-10-21). Repealed sections and the chapters' forms and documents-incorporated-by-reference entries are omitted. Chapters 30 and 65 are also in the Officer Ledger library. 6VAC20-30, 6VAC20-50, 6VAC20-65, 6VAC20-100, official text

CHAPTER 30. RULES RELATING TO COMPULSORY IN-SERVICE TRAINING STANDARDS FOR LAW-ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS, JAILORS OR CUSTODIAL OFFICERS, COURTROOM SECURITY OFFICERS, PROCESS SERVICE OFFICERS AND OFFICERS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS, DIVISION OF OPERATIONS

CHAPTER 50. RULES RELATING TO COMPULSORY MINIMUM TRAINING STANDARDS FOR JAILORS OR CUSTODIAL OFFICERS, COURTHOUSE AND COURTROOM SECURITY OFFICERS AND PROCESS SERVICE OFFICERS

CHAPTER 65. RULES RELATING TO PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS OF CONDUCT AND PROCEDURES FOR DECERTIFICATION

  • 6VAC20-65-10 Definitions
  • 6VAC20-65-20 Professional standards of conduct applicable to all certified law-enforcement officers and certified jail officers
  • 6VAC20-65-30 Designation of serious misconduct warranting officer decertification
  • 6VAC20-65-40 Due process procedures for decertification resulting from serious misconduct

CHAPTER 100. RULES RELATING TO COMPULSORY MINIMUM TRAINING STANDARDS FOR CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS, DIVISION OF ADULT INSTITUTIONS

USCLI's source monitor re-reads the 29 official sources cited on this page around the clock; 5 answered unchanged at their latest check. The oldest of those checks was on October 20, 2026.

Last updated October 21, 2026Source: United States Council for Law & InvestigationCite as: United States Council for Law & Investigation, “Virginia corrections law: Corrections Ledger,” uscli.org/corrections-tracker/virginia (last updated October 21, 2026). Text licensed CC BY 4.0.