§ 19.2-298 Pronouncement of sentence
After a finding of guilty, sentence shall be pronounced, or decision to suspend the imposition of sentence shall be announced, without unreasonable delay. Pending pronouncement, the court may commit the accused to jail or may continue or alter the bail except that in those cases where the accused is convicted of a murder in the first degree, the court shall commit him to jail and he shall not be allowed bail pending the pronouncement of sentence. Before pronouncing the sentence, the court shall inquire of the accused if he desires to make a statement and if he desires to advance any reason why judgment should not be pronounced against him. Whenever any person willfully and knowingly fails to surrender or submit to the custody of a sheriff as ordered by a court, any law-enforcement officer, with or without a warrant, may arrest such person anywhere in the Commonwealth. If the arrest is made in the county or city in which the person was ordered to surrender, or in an adjoining county or city, the officer may forthwith return the accused before the proper court. If the arrest is made beyond the foregoing limits, the officer shall proceed according to the provisions of § 19.2-76, and if such arrest is made without a warrant, the officer shall procure a warrant from the magistrate serving the county or city wherein the arrest was made, charging the accused with contempt of court. After the pronouncement of sentence, if the court is aware that the defendant is registered, certified, or licensed by a health regulatory board or holds a multistate licensure privilege, or is licensed by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services in accordance with § 37.2-404, and the defendant has been convicted of a felony, crime involving moral turpitude, or crime that occurred during the course of practice for which such practitioner or person is licensed, the court shall order the clerk of the court to transmit certified copies of sentencing documents to the Director of the Department of Health Professions or to the Commissioner of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services. Such certified copies of sentencing documents shall be transmitted within 30 days after the sentencing hearing.
History
This law was first created in 1975. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 495 of that year’s edition of “Acts of Assembly,” the annual state publication listing all changes made to the Code of Virginia in that year. Unfortunately, the 1975 “Acts” aren’t available online. It has been modified 3 times. Those modifications are cataloged by “The Acts of Assembly,” a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly’s website will be linked accordingly. Those modifications are as follows: in 1976, chapter 285; in 2009, chapter 192; in 2022, chapter 339.
1975, c. 495; 1976, c. 285; 2009, c. 192; 2022, c. 339.