Criminal Justice

signed · Virginia · Senate Apr 13, 2026

SB 416: Deferred dispos. in criminal case; persons with autism, intellectual, or developmental disabilities.

Deferred disposition in a criminal case; persons with autism, intellectual disabilities, or developmental disabilities; expungement. Adds developmental disabilities to the autism and intellectual disability deferred disposition statute. The bill also provides that when a court defers and dismisses a charge pursuant to the autism, intellectual disability, or developmental disability deferred disposition statute, such charge may be considered as otherwise dismissed for purposes of expungement of police and court records. The bill also (i) clarifies that the defendant may request a hearing to determine the appropriateness of a deferred disposition at any time before or after any plea and (ii) provides that no statement made by the defendant at such a hearing is admissible in any criminal proceeding, except that any such statement made under oath may be admissible in a criminal proceeding for perjury or for purposes of impeachment in a criminal matter. This bill is identical to HB 247.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeExpands deferred disposition for autism/intellectual/developmental disability cases, preventing convictions and enabling expungement, aligning with criminal justice reform goals.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Courts Policing Tags People with Disabilities

signed · Virginia · House of Delegates Apr 8, 2026

HB 1472: Relief; Johnson, Messiah Aladar, compensation for wrongful incarceration.

Claims; Messiah Aladar Johnson; compensation for wrongful incarceration. Grants relief in an amount to be appropriated to Messiah Aladar Johnson, who was wrongly convicted of and subsequently incarcerated for five counts of robbery, 12 counts of the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, six counts of abduction, attempted robbery, and shooting into an occupied building in 1998.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeCompensates wrongful incarceration victim, aligning with criminal justice reform by addressing systemic errors and protecting civil rights.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Corrections Firearms Violent Crime

signed · Virginia · Senate Apr 6, 2026

SB 144: Assault and battery; adds district court temporary recall judge, penalty.

Assault and battery; district court temporary recall judge; penalty. Adds a judge of a district court under temporary recall to the definition of "judge" as it relates to the crime of assault and battery, which is a Class 1 misdemeanor that is enhanced to a Class 6 felony with a mandatory minimum term of confinement of six months if such judge is engaged in his public duties at the time of the offense. This bill is a recommendation of the Committee on District Courts and is identical to HB 124.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeUpgrades assault on temporary recall judges to Class 6 felony with mandatory 6-month sentence, increasing severity of penalties per criminal justice indicators.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Courts Judges Sentencing

signed · Virginia · House of Delegates Apr 13, 2026

HB 245: Jurisdiction of district courts in felony cases; specialty dockets, Behavioral Health Docket Act.

Jurisdiction of district courts in felony cases; specialty dockets; Behavioral Health Docket Act. Authorizes a general district court and a juvenile and domestic relations district court to retain jurisdiction over a felony offense for the purpose of allowing the accused to complete a specialty docket or behavioral health docket established pursuant to relevant law. Current law only explicitly provides such courts with the ability to certify felony charges to the circuit court or dismiss such charges after a preliminary hearing to determine if probable cause exists for such charges.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeAuthorizes Behavioral Health Docket for felony cases, promoting rehabilitation and diversion from traditional sentencing, a key criminal justice reform initiative.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Courts Juvenile Justice

signed · Virginia · House of Delegates Apr 6, 2026

HB 933: Penalties for failure to appear; definition, contempt.

Penalties for failure to appear; contempt. Provides that a court shall consider certain mitigating factors to determine whether the failure of any person to appear before any court or judicial officer as required was willful. Under current law, no mitigating factors are specified for a court or judicial officer to consider in determining whether a person willfully failed to appear. This bill is identical to SB 283.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeReduces penalties from felony to misdemeanor for failure to appear, aligning with less punitive criminal justice reform principles.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Courts

in committee · Virginia · House of Delegates Feb 18, 2026

HB 1159: Oral threat to kill or to do bodily harm; employees of local or state dept. of social serv. penalty.

Oral threat to kill or to do bodily harm; employees of local or state department of social services; penalty. Creates a Class 1 misdemeanor for any person who orally makes a threat to kill or do bodily injury to any call-center contractor or employee of the Department of Social Services or a local department of social services, as those terms as defined in relevant law, who is engaged in the performance of his duties.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeCreates new misdemeanor for threats against social services staff, expanding criminalization without reform or accountability measures.90% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentProtects social services employees from workplace threats, enhancing safety standards for workers as defined in Labor & Employment topic.95% confidence

Track

signed · Virginia · House of Delegates Apr 6, 2026

HB 342: Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission; magistrates, availability of complaint forms in courthouses.

Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission; magistrates; availability of complaint forms in courthouses. Requires that paper copies of any standardized form developed and utilized by the Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission and any standardized form developed and utilized by the Department of Magistrate Services in the Office of the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court of Virginia for the filing of a complaint be made available to the public in the clerk's office in all state courts of the Commonwealth. The bill also requires that a sign be posted in all such courts, in a location accessible to the public, that notes the availability and location of such forms.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeBill requires complaint forms for judicial oversight in courthouses, enhancing accountability in court processes, a core component of criminal justice.80% confidence

Sub-Topics Courts Judges

signed · Virginia · House of Delegates Apr 8, 2026

HB 185: Orders closing a proceeding; petitions for review.

Orders closing a proceeding; petitions for review. Provides that when a circuit court acts on or issues an order pertaining to the closure of a proceeding, such order is eligible for immediate appellate review with the Supreme Court of Virginia. The bill further provides that any person aggrieved by such an order may, within 15 days of the entry of such an order, file a petition for review with the Supreme Court of Virginia. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Boyd-Graves Conference.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeBill enables immediate Supreme Court review of record sealing/closure orders, enhancing due process and defendant rights in criminal proceedings.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Courts

signed · Virginia · Senate Apr 6, 2026

SB 778: Display of obscene material to a minor unlawful; penalty.

Display of obscene material to a minor unlawful; penalty. Makes it a Class 6 felony for any person 18 years of age or older to display obscene material, as defined in relevant law, to a minor younger than 13 years of age with lascivious intent. Current law only prohibits the display of child pornography or a grooming video or materials to a child younger than 13 years of age by a person 18 years of age or older.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeExpands criminalization by creating new felony for displaying obscene material to minors, increasing penalties beyond current child pornography laws.95% confidence

signed · Virginia · House of Delegates Apr 13, 2026

HB 273: Law-enforcement officers; duty to render aid upon danger to life or limb, civil immunity.

Law-enforcement officers; duty to render aid upon danger to life or limb; civil immunity. Provides that a law-enforcement officer, while engaged in the performance of his duties, has a duty to render aid to any person that he observes suffering from a serious bodily injury or life-threatening condition, as circumstances objectively permit and provided that such aid may be rendered without endangering the law-enforcement officer, the person, or others. The bill also immunizes a law-enforcement officer from civil liability for any personal injury or wrongful death resulting from such rendering or withholding of such aid absent gross negligence or willful misconduct. The bill directs the Department of Criminal Justice Services to adopt regulations to provide law-enforcement officers with basic medical training, including emergency first aid training.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeCivil immunity provision weakens accountability by shielding officers from liability, aligning with 'weakens oversight of law enforcement' indicator.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Law Enforcement