There is hereby created within the judicial branch as an agency of the Supreme Court of Virginia, the Virginia Criminal Sentencing Commission, hereinafter referred to in this chapter as the Commission. 1994, 2nd Sp. Sess., cc. 1, 2, § 17-232; 1998, c. 872.
The General Assembly, to ensure the imposition of appropriate and just criminal penalties, and to make the most efficient use of correctional resources, especially for the effective incapacitation of violent criminal offenders, has determined that it is in the best interest of the Commonwealth to develop, implement, and revise discretionary sentencing guidelines. The purposes of […]
A. The Commission shall be composed of 17 members as follows: 1. Six judges or justices, who may be judges of a circuit court who regularly hear criminal cases or judges or justices of the Supreme Court or the Court of Appeals, to be appointed by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia; […]
The Commission shall: 1. Develop, maintain and modify as may be deemed necessary, a proposed system of statewide discretionary sentencing guidelines for use in all felony cases which will take into account historical data, when available, concerning time actually served for various felony offenses committed prior to January 1, 1995, and sentences imposed for various […]
A. Regular meetings of the Commission shall be held on a quarterly basis and at such other times as the Chairman may determine. Nine members of the Commission shall constitute a quorum. The Commission may hold public hearings. B. The Commission may appoint a director and fix his duties and compensation. The Director may with […]
A. The Commission shall adopt an initial set of discretionary felony sentencing guidelines which shall become effective on January 1, 1995. The initial recommended sentencing range for each felony offense shall be determined first, by computing the actual time-served distribution for similarly situated offenders, in terms of their conviction offense and prior criminal history, released […]
The Commission shall adopt discretionary felony sentencing guidelines that may increase the midpoint of the recommended sentencing range based on the defendant’s record of convictions for violent felony offenses, as defined in subsection C of § 17.1-805. For guidelines that become effective on or after July 1, 2022, the Commission may increase the midpoint of […]
After adoption of the initial guidelines, any modification to the discretionary sentencing guidelines adopted by the Commission shall be contained in the annual report required under § 17.1-803 and shall, unless otherwise provided by law, become effective on the next following July 1. 1994, 2nd Sp. Sess., cc. 1, 2, § 17-238; 1998, c. 872.
