{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/18.2-46.3.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/18.2-46.3.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/18.2-46.3.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/18.2-46.3.html"}],"law_id":70242,"edition_id":1,"section_id":70242,"structure_id":15685,"section_number":"18.2-46.3","catch_line":"Recruitment of persons for criminal street gang; penalty","history":"2000, c. 332; 2004, cc. 396, 435.","full_text":"A\n\nAny person who solicits, invites, recruits, encourages or otherwise causes or attempts to cause another to actively participate in or become a member of what he knows to be a criminal street gang is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. Any person age 18 years or older who solicits, invites, recruits, encourages or otherwise causes or attempts to cause a juvenile to actively participate in or become a member of what he knows to be a criminal street gang is guilty of a Class 6 felony.B\n\nAny person who, in order to encourage an individual (a) to join a criminal street gang, (b) to remain as a participant in or a member of a criminal street gang, or (c) to submit to a demand made by a criminal street gang to commit a felony violation of this title, (i) uses force against the individual or a member of his family or household or (ii) threatens force against the individual or a member of his family or household, which threat would place any person in reasonable apprehension of death or bodily injury, is guilty of a Class 6 felony. The definition of “family or household member” set forth in § 16.1-228 applies to this section.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":253657,"text":"Any person who solicits, invites, recruits, encourages or otherwise causes or attempts to cause another to actively participate in or become a member of what he knows to be a criminal street gang is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. Any person age 18 years or older who solicits, invites, recruits, encourages or otherwise causes or attempts to cause a juvenile to actively participate in or become a member of what he knows to be a criminal street gang is guilty of a Class 6 felony.","type":"section","prefixes":["A"],"prefix":"A","entire_prefix":"A","prefix_anchor":"A","level":1,"next_prefix":"B"},"1":{"id":253658,"text":"Any person who, in order to encourage an individual (a) to join a criminal street gang, (b) to remain as a participant in or a member of a criminal street gang, or (c) to submit to a demand made by a criminal street gang to commit a felony violation of this title, (i) uses force against the individual or a member of his family or household or (ii) threatens force against the individual or a member of his family or household, which threat would place any person in reasonable apprehension of death or bodily injury, is guilty of a Class 6 felony. The definition of “family or household member” set forth in § 16.1-228 applies to this section.","type":"section","prefixes":["B"],"prefix":"B","entire_prefix":"B","prefix_anchor":"B","level":1,"prior_prefix":"A"}},"ancestry":[{"id":15685,"edition_id":1,"name":"Crimes by Gangs","identifier":"2.1","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13100,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:57:54","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:57:54","permalink":{"id":164869,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":15685,"identifier":"2.1","token":"18.2\/4\/2.1","url":"\/18.2\/4\/2.1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":13100,"edition_id":1,"name":"Crimes Against the Person","identifier":"4","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12972,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:17","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:17","permalink":{"id":164763,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13100,"identifier":"4","token":"18.2\/4","url":"\/18.2\/4\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12972,"edition_id":1,"name":"Crimes and Offenses Generally","identifier":"18.2","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:05","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:05","permalink":{"id":164139,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12972,"identifier":"18.2","token":"18.2","url":"\/18.2\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":86583,"structure_id":15685,"section_number":"18.2-46.1","catch_line":"Definitions","url":"\/18.2-46.1\/","token":"18.2\/4\/2.1\/18.2-46.1","metadata":false},{"id":60069,"structure_id":15685,"section_number":"18.2-46.2","catch_line":"Prohibited criminal street gang participation; penalty","url":"\/18.2-46.2\/","token":"18.2\/4\/2.1\/18.2-46.2","metadata":false},{"id":70242,"structure_id":15685,"section_number":"18.2-46.3","catch_line":"Recruitment of persons for criminal street gang; penalty","url":"\/18.2-46.3\/","token":"18.2\/4\/2.1\/18.2-46.3","metadata":false},{"id":64920,"structure_id":15685,"section_number":"18.2-46.3:1","catch_line":"Third or subsequent conviction of criminal street gang crimes","url":"\/18.2-46.3_1\/","token":"18.2\/4\/2.1\/18.2-46.3_1","metadata":false},{"id":78328,"structure_id":15685,"section_number":"18.2-46.3:2","catch_line":"Forfeiture","url":"\/18.2-46.3_2\/","token":"18.2\/4\/2.1\/18.2-46.3_2","metadata":false},{"id":69277,"structure_id":15685,"section_number":"18.2-46.3:3","catch_line":"Enhanced punishment for gang activity taking place in a gang-free zone; penalties","url":"\/18.2-46.3_3\/","token":"18.2\/4\/2.1\/18.2-46.3_3","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":60069,"structure_id":15685,"section_number":"18.2-46.2","catch_line":"Prohibited criminal street gang participation; penalty","url":"\/18.2-46.2\/","token":"18.2\/4\/2.1\/18.2-46.2","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":64920,"structure_id":15685,"section_number":"18.2-46.3:1","catch_line":"Third or subsequent conviction of criminal street gang crimes","url":"\/18.2-46.3_1\/","token":"18.2\/4\/2.1\/18.2-46.3_1","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/18.2-46.3\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 2000. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 332<\/a> of that year\u2019s edition of \u201cActs of Assembly,\u201d the annual state publication listing all changes made to the Code of Virginia in that year. 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 2004, chapters 396<\/a> and 435<\/a>.<\/p>","references":[{"id":57160,"section_number":"16.1-260","catch_line":"Intake; petition; investigation","order_by":null,"url":"\/16.1-260\/"},{"id":80246,"section_number":"17.1-805","catch_line":"Adoption of initial discretionary sentencing guideline midpoints","order_by":null,"url":"\/17.1-805\/"},{"id":86583,"section_number":"18.2-46.1","catch_line":"Definitions","order_by":null,"url":"\/18.2-46.1\/"},{"id":64920,"section_number":"18.2-46.3:1","catch_line":"Third or subsequent conviction of criminal street gang crimes","order_by":null,"url":"\/18.2-46.3_1\/"},{"id":78328,"section_number":"18.2-46.3:2","catch_line":"Forfeiture","order_by":null,"url":"\/18.2-46.3_2\/"},{"id":69277,"section_number":"18.2-46.3:3","catch_line":"Enhanced punishment for gang activity taking place in a gang-free zone; penalties","order_by":null,"url":"\/18.2-46.3_3\/"},{"id":56127,"section_number":"18.2-460","catch_line":"Obstructing justice; resisting arrest; fleeing from a law-enforcement officer; penalties","order_by":null,"url":"\/18.2-460\/"},{"id":81173,"section_number":"19.2-11.2","catch_line":"Crime victim's right to nondisclosure of certain information; exceptions; testimonial privilege","order_by":null,"url":"\/19.2-11.2\/"},{"id":75041,"section_number":"19.2-299","catch_line":"Investigations and reports by probation officers in certain cases","order_by":null,"url":"\/19.2-299\/"},{"id":61280,"section_number":"19.2-392.02","catch_line":"National criminal background checks by businesses and organizations regarding employees or volunteers providing care to children or the elderly or disabled","order_by":null,"url":"\/19.2-392.02\/"},{"id":78541,"section_number":"19.2-83.1","catch_line":"Report of arrest of school employees and adult students for certain offenses","order_by":null,"url":"\/19.2-83.1\/"},{"id":77776,"section_number":"2.2-511","catch_line":"Criminal cases","order_by":null,"url":"\/2.2-511\/"},{"id":83381,"section_number":"52-28.1","catch_line":"Reporting of gang-related criminal information; inclusion in annual Crime in Virginia report","order_by":null,"url":"\/52-28.1\/"}],"refers_to":[{"id":63788,"section_number":"16.1-228","catch_line":"Definitions","order_by":null,"url":"\/16.1-228\/"}],"permalink":{"id":164879,"object_type":"law","relational_id":70242,"identifier":"18.2-46.3","token":"18.2\/4\/2.1\/18.2-46.3","url":"\/18.2-46.3\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/18.2-46.3\/","token":"18.2\/4\/2.1\/18.2-46.3","dublin_core":{"Title":"Recruitment of persons for criminal street gang; penalty","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 18.2-46.3","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

A.<\/span> Any person who solicits, invites, recruits, encourages or otherwise causes or attempts to cause another to actively participate in or become a member of what he knows to be a criminal street gang<\/span> is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor<\/span>. Any person age 18 years or older who solicits, invites, recruits, encourages or otherwise causes or attempts to cause a juvenile to actively participate in or become a member of what he knows to be a criminal street gang<\/span> is guilty of a Class 6 felony<\/span>. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

B.<\/span> Any person who, in order<\/span> to encourage an individual (a) to join a criminal street gang<\/span>, (b) to remain as a participant in or a member of a criminal street gang<\/span>, or (c) to submit to a demand made by a criminal street gang<\/span> to commit a felony<\/span> violation of this title, (i) uses force against the individual or a member of his family or household or (ii) threatens force against the individual or a member of his family or household, which threat would place any person in reasonable apprehension of death or bodily injury, is guilty of a Class 6 felony<\/span>. The definition of “family or household member” set forth in § 16.1-228<\/a> applies to this section. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nRECRUITMENT OF PERSONS FOR CRIMINAL STREET GANG; PENALTY (\u00a7 18.2-46.3)\n\nA. Any person who solicits, invites, recruits, encourages or otherwise causes or\nattempts to cause another to actively participate in or become a member of what\nhe knows to be a criminal street gang is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. Any\nperson age 18 years or older who solicits, invites, recruits, encourages or\notherwise causes or attempts to cause a juvenile to actively participate in or\nbecome a member of what he knows to be a criminal street gang is guilty of a\nClass 6 felony.\n\nB. Any person who, in order to encourage an individual (a) to join a criminal\nstreet gang, (b) to remain as a participant in or a member of a criminal street\ngang, or (c) to submit to a demand made by a criminal street gang to commit a\nfelony violation of this title, (i) uses force against the individual or a\nmember of his family or household or (ii) threatens force against the individual\nor a member of his family or household, which threat would place any person in\nreasonable apprehension of death or bodily injury, is guilty of a Class 6\nfelony. The definition of “family or household member” set forth in\n§ 16.1-228 applies to this section.\n\nHISTORY: 2000, c. 332; 2004, cc. 396, 435.","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}}