VirginiaVa. Parole Board; powers and duties, parole procedures and considerations for juvenile offenders.
What it does
Virginia Parole Board; powers and duties; juvenile offenders; parole procedures and considerations. Increases the members of the Virginia Parole Board (the Board) from up to five to at least 11 members, five of whom shall be appointed by the Governor within 60 days of inauguration, three of whom shall be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Delegates within 60 days of a new House being sworn in during a Senate election year, and three of whom shall be appointed by the Chair of the Senate Committee on Rules within 60 days of a new Senate being sworn in after an election, and all of whom shall be subject to confirmation by the General Assembly, if in session when such appointment is made, and if not in session, then at its next succeeding session. The bill specifies that all members of the Board shall have significant professional experience working in criminal law, corrections, reentry and community services, or victim services and that the Board members appointed by the Governor shall include (i) an attorney with significant experience in criminal prosecution; (ii) an attorney with significant experience in criminal defense; (iii) a qualified mental health professional with relevant background in adolescent development, trauma responses, psychology, and decision-making; and (iv) a representative of a crime victims organization or a victim of crime.
More detail
These provisions of the bill have a delayed effective date of July 1, 2028. The bill also requires the Board to provide a meaningful opportunity for release to certain juvenile offenders eligible for parole and specifies various factors the Board shall give substantial weight to when making a determination on whether to grant parole to such juvenile offender. The bill allows a juvenile offender to request for reconsideration or appeal of a decision by the Board not to grant parole based on (a) the Board's failure to give substantial weight to such juvenile offender's age and its related mitigating circumstances as required by the bill or (b) the Board's overreliance on static factors such as the nature and circumstances of the offense and failure to ground its decision in evidence of maturity, rehabilitation, and a lack of present danger to public safety. The bill requires the Board to provide individualized reasons for the grant or denial of parole upon reconsideration or appeal. The bill also requires that if parole is denied for any such juvenile offender, each Board member shall identify his reasoning for such decision at the time such member's vote is cast, including any youth-related factor and evidence of maturity and rehabilitation that was considered. The bill requires that the Board provide to such prisoner for whom parole is denied recommendations to demonstrate commitment to rehabilitation and at the next hearing, the Board is required to consider whether the prisoner has followed such recommendations. The bill also requires the Board to annually review the cases of such juvenile offenders eligible for parole. This bill is identical to HB 318.
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Where it stands
- Introduced
- Passed Senate
- Passed House
- To Governor
- Became Law
Looking ahead
No hearings or votes scheduled.
History
- 2026
- Apr 11Governor's recommendation received by SenateLatest
- Mar 10Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026To Governor
- Mar 10Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 10, 2026Minor
- Mar 5Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB60)
- Mar 4Signed by PresidentMajor
- Mar 4Signed by SpeakerMajor
- Mar 4Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB60ER)Major
- Mar 4EnrolledMinor
- Feb 27House substitute agreed to by Senate (20-Y 19-N 0-A)Major
- Vote recorded Concur House Substitute R. Result: pass.Upper
- Feb 25Passed House with substitute (69-Y 29-N 0-A)Passed House
- Vote recorded H VOTE:. Result: pass.Lower
- Feb 25Engrossed by House - committee substituteMajor
- Feb 25committee substitute agreed toMajor
- Feb 25Read third timeMinor
- Feb 24Read second timeMinor
- Feb 23Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB60)
- Feb 20Reported from Public Safety with substitute (17-Y 3-N)Minor
- Vote recorded Reported from Public Safety with substitute. Result: pass.Lower
- Vote recorded Reported from Public Safety with substitute. Result: pass.Lower
- Feb 20Reconsidered by Public Safety
- Feb 20Reported from Public Safety with substitute (13-Y 4-N)Minor
- Feb 20Committee substitute printed 26108328D-H1Major
- Feb 17Referred to Committee on Public SafetyMinor
- Feb 17Read first timeMinor
- Feb 17Placed on Calendar
- Feb 11Read third time and passed Senate (20-Y 19-N 0-A)Passed Senate
- Vote recorded Passage R. Result: pass.Upper
- Feb 10Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute (Voice Vote)Major
- Feb 10Finance and Appropriations Substitute agreed to
- Feb 10Rehabilitation and Social Services Substitute rejected
- Feb 10Read second timeMinor
- Feb 10Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB60)
- Feb 9Passed by for the day
- Vote recorded Constitutional reading dispensed R. Result: pass.Upper
- Feb 9Passed by for the day (Voice Vote)
- Feb 9Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A)
- Feb 9Rules suspended
- Feb 9Committee substitute printed 26107382D-S2Major
- Feb 7Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB60)
- Feb 5Reported from Finance and Appropriations with substitute (10-Y 5-N)Minor
- Vote recorded Reported from Finance and Appropriations with substitute. Result: pass.Upper
- Jan 26Committee substitute printed 26105956D-S1Major
- Jan 23Reported from Rehabilitation and Social Services with substitute and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (8-Y 7-N)Minor
- Vote recorded Reported from Rehabilitation and Social Services with substitute. Result: pass.Upper
- Jan 23Senate committee offered
- Jan 23Senate committee offered
- Jan 20Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB60)
- 2025
- Dec 8Referred to Committee on Rehabilitation and Social ServicesMinor
- Dec 8Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26102029DIntroduced