{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/17.1-801.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/17.1-801.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/17.1-801.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/17.1-801.html"}],"law_id":60673,"edition_id":1,"section_id":60673,"structure_id":12767,"section_number":"17.1-801","catch_line":"Purpose","history":"1994, 2nd Sp. Sess., cc. 1, 2, \u00a7 17-233; 1998, c. 872.","full_text":"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 the Commission established under this chapter are to assist the judiciary in the imposition of sentences by establishing a system of discretionary guidelines and to establish a discretionary sentencing guidelines system which emphasizes accountability of the offender and of the criminal justice system to the citizens of the Commonwealth.\n\t\tThe Commission shall develop discretionary sentencing guidelines to achieve the goals of certainty, consistency, and adequacy of punishment with due regard to the seriousness of the offense, the dangerousness of the offender, deterrence of individuals from committing criminal offenses and the use of alternative sanctions, where appropriate.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":221748,"text":"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 the Commission established under this chapter are to assist the judiciary in the imposition of sentences by establishing a system of discretionary guidelines and to establish a discretionary sentencing guidelines system which emphasizes accountability of the offender and of the criminal justice system to the citizens of the Commonwealth.\n\t\tThe Commission shall develop discretionary sentencing guidelines to achieve the goals of certainty, consistency, and adequacy of punishment with due regard to the seriousness of the offense, the dangerousness of the offender, deterrence of individuals from committing criminal offenses and the use of alternative sanctions, where appropriate.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":12767,"edition_id":1,"name":"Virginia Criminal Sentencing Commission","identifier":"8","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12766,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:52","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:52","permalink":{"id":164023,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12767,"identifier":"8","token":"17.1\/8","url":"\/17.1\/8\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12766,"edition_id":1,"name":"Courts of Record","identifier":"17.1","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:52","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:52","permalink":{"id":162799,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12766,"identifier":"17.1","token":"17.1","url":"\/17.1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":67002,"structure_id":12767,"section_number":"17.1-800","catch_line":"Virginia Criminal Sentencing Commission created","url":"\/17.1-800\/","token":"17.1\/8\/17.1-800","metadata":false},{"id":60673,"structure_id":12767,"section_number":"17.1-801","catch_line":"Purpose","url":"\/17.1-801\/","token":"17.1\/8\/17.1-801","metadata":false},{"id":60828,"structure_id":12767,"section_number":"17.1-802","catch_line":"Membership; terms; compensation and expenses","url":"\/17.1-802\/","token":"17.1\/8\/17.1-802","metadata":false},{"id":67896,"structure_id":12767,"section_number":"17.1-803","catch_line":"Powers and duties","url":"\/17.1-803\/","token":"17.1\/8\/17.1-803","metadata":false},{"id":53956,"structure_id":12767,"section_number":"17.1-804","catch_line":"Meetings; staff support","url":"\/17.1-804\/","token":"17.1\/8\/17.1-804","metadata":false},{"id":80246,"structure_id":12767,"section_number":"17.1-805","catch_line":"Adoption of initial discretionary sentencing guideline midpoints","url":"\/17.1-805\/","token":"17.1\/8\/17.1-805","metadata":false},{"id":62946,"structure_id":12767,"section_number":"17.1-805.1","catch_line":"Discretionary sentencing guideline midpoints for certain defendants","url":"\/17.1-805.1\/","token":"17.1\/8\/17.1-805.1","metadata":false},{"id":60194,"structure_id":12767,"section_number":"17.1-806","catch_line":"Sentencing guidelines modifications; effective date","url":"\/17.1-806\/","token":"17.1\/8\/17.1-806","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":67002,"structure_id":12767,"section_number":"17.1-800","catch_line":"Virginia Criminal Sentencing Commission created","url":"\/17.1-800\/","token":"17.1\/8\/17.1-800","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":60828,"structure_id":12767,"section_number":"17.1-802","catch_line":"Membership; terms; compensation and expenses","url":"\/17.1-802\/","token":"17.1\/8\/17.1-802","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/17.1-801\/","history_text":"

The record of this law\u2019s original creation isn\u2019t available online. It has been modified 1 time. 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. That modification is as follows: in 1998, chapter 872<\/a>.<\/p>","references":false,"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":164029,"object_type":"law","relational_id":60673,"identifier":"17.1-801","token":"17.1\/8\/17.1-801","url":"\/17.1-801\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/17.1-801\/","token":"17.1\/8\/17.1-801","dublin_core":{"Title":"Purpose","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 17.1-801","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

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<\/span>. The purposes of the Commission established under this chapter are to assist the judiciary in the imposition of sentences by establishing a system of discretionary guidelines and to establish a discretionary sentencing guidelines<\/span> system which emphasizes accountability of the offender and of the criminal justice system to the citizens of the Commonwealth.\n\t\tThe Commission shall develop discretionary sentencing guidelines<\/span> to achieve the goals of certainty, consistency, and adequacy of punishment with due regard to the seriousness of the offense<\/span>, the dangerousness of the offender, deterrence of individuals from committing criminal offenses<\/span> and the use of alternative sanctions<\/span>, where appropriate.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nPURPOSE (\u00a7 17.1-801)\n\nThe General Assembly, to ensure the imposition of appropriate and just criminal\npenalties, and to make the most efficient use of correctional resources,\nespecially for the effective incapacitation of violent criminal offenders, has\ndetermined that it is in the best interest of the Commonwealth to develop,\nimplement, and revise discretionary sentencing guidelines. The purposes of the\nCommission established under this chapter are to assist the judiciary in the\nimposition of sentences by establishing a system of discretionary guidelines and\nto establish a discretionary sentencing guidelines system which emphasizes\naccountability of the offender and of the criminal justice system to the\ncitizens of the Commonwealth.\n\t\tThe Commission shall develop discretionary sentencing guidelines to achieve\nthe goals of certainty, consistency, and adequacy of punishment with due regard\nto the seriousness of the offense, the dangerousness of the offender, deterrence\nof individuals from committing criminal offenses and the use of alternative\nsanctions, where appropriate.\n\nHISTORY: 1994, 2nd Sp. Sess., cc. 1, 2, \u00a7 17-233; 1998, c. 872.","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}}