{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/16.1-227.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/16.1-227.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/16.1-227.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/16.1-227.html"}],"law_id":56028,"edition_id":1,"section_id":56028,"structure_id":14558,"section_number":"16.1-227","catch_line":"Purpose and intent","history":"Code 1950, \u00a7 16.1-140; 1956, c. 555; 1977, c. 559; 1990, c. 554; 1991, c. 392; 1996, cc. 755, 914.","full_text":"This law shall be construed liberally and as remedial in character, and the powers hereby conferred are intended to be general to effect the beneficial purposes herein set forth. It is the intention of this law that in all proceedings the welfare of the child and the family, the safety of the community and the protection of the rights of victims are the paramount concerns of the Commonwealth and to the end that these purposes may be attained, the judge shall possess all necessary and incidental powers and authority, whether legal or equitable in their nature.\n\t\tThis law shall be interpreted and construed so as to effectuate the following purposes:\n\n1\n\nTo divert from or within the juvenile justice system, to the extent possible, consistent with the protection of the public safety, those children who can be cared for or treated through alternative programs;2\n\nTo provide judicial procedures through which the provisions of this law are executed and enforced and in which the parties are assured a fair hearing and their constitutional and other rights are recognized and enforced;3\n\nTo separate a child from such child’s parents, guardian, legal custodian or other person standing in loco parentis only when the child’s welfare is endangered or it is in the interest of public safety and then only after consideration of alternatives to out-of-home placement which afford effective protection to the child, his family, and the community; and4\n\nTo protect the community against those acts of its citizens, both juveniles and adults, which are harmful to others and to reduce the incidence of delinquent behavior and to hold offenders accountable for their behavior.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":205372,"text":"This law shall be construed liberally and as remedial in character, and the powers hereby conferred are intended to be general to effect the beneficial purposes herein set forth. It is the intention of this law that in all proceedings the welfare of the child and the family, the safety of the community and the protection of the rights of victims are the paramount concerns of the Commonwealth and to the end that these purposes may be attained, the judge shall possess all necessary and incidental powers and authority, whether legal or equitable in their nature.\n\t\tThis law shall be interpreted and construed so as to effectuate the following purposes:","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"next_prefix":"1"},"1":{"id":205373,"text":"To divert from or within the juvenile justice system, to the extent possible, consistent with the protection of the public safety, those children who can be cared for or treated through alternative programs;","type":"section","prefixes":["1"],"prefix":"1","entire_prefix":"1","prefix_anchor":"1","level":1,"prior_prefix":"","next_prefix":"2"},"2":{"id":205374,"text":"To provide judicial procedures through which the provisions of this law are executed and enforced and in which the parties are assured a fair hearing and their constitutional and other rights are recognized and enforced;","type":"section","prefixes":["2"],"prefix":"2","entire_prefix":"2","prefix_anchor":"2","level":1,"prior_prefix":"1","next_prefix":"3"},"3":{"id":205375,"text":"To separate a child from such child’s parents, guardian, legal custodian or other person standing in loco parentis only when the child’s welfare is endangered or it is in the interest of public safety and then only after consideration of alternatives to out-of-home placement which afford effective protection to the child, his family, and the community; and","type":"section","prefixes":["3"],"prefix":"3","entire_prefix":"3","prefix_anchor":"3","level":1,"prior_prefix":"2","next_prefix":"4"},"4":{"id":205376,"text":"To protect the community against those acts of its citizens, both juveniles and adults, which are harmful to others and to reduce the incidence of delinquent behavior and to hold offenders accountable for their behavior.","type":"section","prefixes":["4"],"prefix":"4","entire_prefix":"4","prefix_anchor":"4","level":1,"prior_prefix":"3"}},"ancestry":[{"id":14558,"edition_id":1,"name":"General Provisions","identifier":"1","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12701,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:48:39","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:48:39","permalink":{"id":160947,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":14558,"identifier":"1","token":"16.1\/11\/1","url":"\/16.1\/11\/1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12701,"edition_id":1,"name":"Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Courts","identifier":"11","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12700,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:49","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:49","permalink":{"id":160945,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12701,"identifier":"11","token":"16.1\/11","url":"\/16.1\/11\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12700,"edition_id":1,"name":"Courts Not of Record","identifier":"16.1","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:49","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:49","permalink":{"id":160919,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12700,"identifier":"16.1","token":"16.1","url":"\/16.1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":68463,"structure_id":14558,"section_number":"16.1-226","catch_line":"Short title","url":"\/16.1-226\/","token":"16.1\/11\/1\/16.1-226","metadata":false},{"id":56028,"structure_id":14558,"section_number":"16.1-227","catch_line":"Purpose and intent","url":"\/16.1-227\/","token":"16.1\/11\/1\/16.1-227","metadata":false},{"id":63788,"structure_id":14558,"section_number":"16.1-228","catch_line":"Definitions","url":"\/16.1-228\/","token":"16.1\/11\/1\/16.1-228","metadata":false},{"id":57469,"structure_id":14558,"section_number":"16.1-229","catch_line":"This chapter controlling in event of conflict","url":"\/16.1-229\/","token":"16.1\/11\/1\/16.1-229","metadata":false},{"id":78552,"structure_id":14558,"section_number":"16.1-229.1","catch_line":"Removal of a child; names and contact information of persons with a legitimate interest","url":"\/16.1-229.1\/","token":"16.1\/11\/1\/16.1-229.1","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":68463,"structure_id":14558,"section_number":"16.1-226","catch_line":"Short title","url":"\/16.1-226\/","token":"16.1\/11\/1\/16.1-226","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":63788,"structure_id":14558,"section_number":"16.1-228","catch_line":"Definitions","url":"\/16.1-228\/","token":"16.1\/11\/1\/16.1-228","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/16.1-227\/","history_text":"

The record of this law\u2019s original creation isn\u2019t available online. It has been modified 5 times. Those modifications are cataloged by \u201cThe Acts of Assembly,\u201d a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly\u2019s website will be linked accordingly. Those modifications are as follows: in 1956, chapter 555; in 1977, chapter 559; in 1990, chapter 554; in 1991, chapter 392; in 1996, chapters 755<\/a> and 914<\/a>.<\/p>","references":[{"id":74120,"section_number":"16.1-301","catch_line":"Confidentiality of juvenile law-enforcement records; disclosures to school principal and others","order_by":null,"url":"\/16.1-301\/"}],"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":160953,"object_type":"law","relational_id":56028,"identifier":"16.1-227","token":"16.1\/11\/1\/16.1-227","url":"\/16.1-227\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/16.1-227\/","token":"16.1\/11\/1\/16.1-227","dublin_core":{"Title":"Purpose and intent","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 16.1-227","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

This law<\/span> shall be construed liberally and as remedial in character, and the powers hereby conferred are intended to be general to effect the beneficial purposes herein set forth. It is the intention of this law<\/span> that in all proceedings the welfare of the child and the family, the safety of the community and the protection of the rights of victims are the paramount concerns of the Commonwealth and to the end that these purposes may be attained, the judge<\/span> shall possess all necessary and incidental powers and authority, whether legal or equitable<\/span> in their nature.\n\t\tThis law<\/span> shall be interpreted and construed so as to effectuate the following purposes:<\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

1.<\/span> To divert from or within the juvenile justice system, to the extent possible, consistent with the protection of the public safety, those children who can be cared for or treated through alternative programs; <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

2.<\/span> To provide judicial procedures through which the provisions of this law<\/span> are executed and enforced and in which the parties are assured a fair hearing<\/span> and their constitutional and other rights are recognized and enforced; <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

3.<\/span> To separate a child from such child’s parents, guardian, legal custodian or other person standing in loco parentis only when the child’s welfare is endangered or it is in the interest of public safety and then only after consideration of alternatives to out-of-home placement which afford effective protection to the child, his family, and the community; and <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

4.<\/span> To protect the community against those acts of its citizens, both juveniles and adults<\/span>, which are harmful to others and to reduce the incidence of delinquent behavior and to hold offenders accountable for their behavior. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nPURPOSE AND INTENT (\u00a7 16.1-227)\n\nThis law shall be construed liberally and as remedial in character, and the\npowers hereby conferred are intended to be general to effect the beneficial\npurposes herein set forth. It is the intention of this law that in all\nproceedings the welfare of the child and the family, the safety of the community\nand the protection of the rights of victims are the paramount concerns of the\nCommonwealth and to the end that these purposes may be attained, the judge shall\npossess all necessary and incidental powers and authority, whether legal or\nequitable in their nature.\n\t\tThis law shall be interpreted and construed so as to effectuate the following\npurposes:\n\n1. To divert from or within the juvenile justice system, to the extent possible,\nconsistent with the protection of the public safety, those children who can be\ncared for or treated through alternative programs;\n\n2. To provide judicial procedures through which the provisions of this law are\nexecuted and enforced and in which the parties are assured a fair hearing and\ntheir constitutional and other rights are recognized and enforced;\n\n3. To separate a child from such child’s parents, guardian, legal\ncustodian or other person standing in loco parentis only when the child’s\nwelfare is endangered or it is in the interest of public safety and then only\nafter consideration of alternatives to out-of-home placement which afford\neffective protection to the child, his family, and the community; and\n\n4. To protect the community against those acts of its citizens, both juveniles\nand adults, which are harmful to others and to reduce the incidence of\ndelinquent behavior and to hold offenders accountable for their behavior.\n\nHISTORY: Code 1950, \u00a7 16.1-140; 1956, c. 555; 1977, c. 559; 1990, c. 554; 1991,\nc. 392; 1996, cc. 755, 914.","edition":{"id":1,"name":"2025","slug":"2025","date_created":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","date_modified":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","current":1,"order_by":1,"last_import":null}}