{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/19.2-242.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/19.2-242.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/19.2-242.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/19.2-242.html"}],"law_id":70632,"edition_id":1,"section_id":70632,"structure_id":15177,"section_number":"19.2-242","catch_line":"Accused discharged from jail if not indicted in time","history":"Code 1950, \u00a7 19.1-163; 1960, c. 366; 1975, c. 495; 2018, c. 551.","full_text":"A person in jail on a criminal charge that has been certified or otherwise transferred from a district court to a circuit court shall be discharged from imprisonment if a presentment, indictment or information be not found or filed against him before the end of the second term of the court at which he is held to answer, unless it appear to the court that material witnesses for the Commonwealth have been enticed or kept away or are prevented from attendance by sickness or inevitable accident, and except, also, in the cases provided in \u00a7\u00a7 19.2-168.1 and 19.2-169.1. A discharge under the provisions of this section shall not, however, prevent a reincarceration after a presentment or indictment has been found.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":254830,"text":"A person in jail on a criminal charge that has been certified or otherwise transferred from a district court to a circuit court shall be discharged from imprisonment if a presentment, indictment or information be not found or filed against him before the end of the second term of the court at which he is held to answer, unless it appear to the court that material witnesses for the Commonwealth have been enticed or kept away or are prevented from attendance by sickness or inevitable accident, and except, also, in the cases provided in \u00a7\u00a7 19.2-168.1 and 19.2-169.1. A discharge under the provisions of this section shall not, however, prevent a reincarceration after a presentment or indictment has been found.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":15177,"edition_id":1,"name":"Jurisdiction","identifier":"1","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12803,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:52:43","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:52:43","permalink":{"id":168977,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":15177,"identifier":"1","token":"19.2\/15\/1","url":"\/19.2\/15\/1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12803,"edition_id":1,"name":"Trial and Its Incidents","identifier":"15","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12801,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:53","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:53","permalink":{"id":168975,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12803,"identifier":"15","token":"19.2\/15","url":"\/19.2\/15\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12801,"edition_id":1,"name":"Criminal Procedure","identifier":"19.2","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:53","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:53","permalink":{"id":168169,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12801,"identifier":"19.2","token":"19.2","url":"\/19.2\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":69122,"structure_id":15177,"section_number":"19.2-239","catch_line":"Jurisdiction in criminal cases","url":"\/19.2-239\/","token":"19.2\/15\/1\/19.2-239","metadata":false},{"id":77544,"structure_id":15177,"section_number":"19.2-240","catch_line":"Clerks shall make out criminal docket; transportation orders","url":"\/19.2-240\/","token":"19.2\/15\/1\/19.2-240","metadata":false},{"id":71478,"structure_id":15177,"section_number":"19.2-241","catch_line":"Time within which court to set criminal cases for trial","url":"\/19.2-241\/","token":"19.2\/15\/1\/19.2-241","metadata":false},{"id":70632,"structure_id":15177,"section_number":"19.2-242","catch_line":"Accused discharged from jail if not indicted in time","url":"\/19.2-242\/","token":"19.2\/15\/1\/19.2-242","metadata":false},{"id":57795,"structure_id":15177,"section_number":"19.2-243","catch_line":"Limitation on prosecution of felony due to lapse of time after finding of probable cause; misdemeanors; exceptions","url":"\/19.2-243\/","token":"19.2\/15\/1\/19.2-243","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":71478,"structure_id":15177,"section_number":"19.2-241","catch_line":"Time within which court to set criminal cases for trial","url":"\/19.2-241\/","token":"19.2\/15\/1\/19.2-241","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":57795,"structure_id":15177,"section_number":"19.2-243","catch_line":"Limitation on prosecution of felony due to lapse of time after finding of probable cause; misdemeanors; exceptions","url":"\/19.2-243\/","token":"19.2\/15\/1\/19.2-243","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/19.2-242\/","history_text":"

The record of this law\u2019s original creation isn\u2019t available online. It has been modified 3 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 1960, chapter 366; in 1975, chapter 495; in 2018, chapter 551<\/a>.<\/p>","references":false,"refers_to":[{"id":72794,"section_number":"19.2-168.1","catch_line":"Evaluation on motion of the Commonwealth after notice","order_by":null,"url":"\/19.2-168.1\/"},{"id":85695,"section_number":"19.2-169.1","catch_line":"Raising question of competency to stand trial or plead; evaluation and determination of competency","order_by":null,"url":"\/19.2-169.1\/"}],"permalink":{"id":168991,"object_type":"law","relational_id":70632,"identifier":"19.2-242","token":"19.2\/15\/1\/19.2-242","url":"\/19.2-242\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/19.2-242\/","token":"19.2\/15\/1\/19.2-242","dublin_core":{"Title":"Accused discharged from jail if not indicted in time","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 19.2-242","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

A person in jail on a criminal charge that has been certified or otherwise transferred from a district court<\/span> to a circuit<\/span> court<\/span> shall be discharged from imprisonment if a presentment<\/span>, indictment<\/span> or information be not found or filed against him before the end of the second term of the court<\/span> at which he is held to answer, unless it appear to the court<\/span> that material<\/span> witnesses for the Commonwealth have been enticed or kept away or are prevented from attendance by sickness or inevitable accident, and except, also, in the cases provided in \u00a7\u00a7 19.2-168.1<\/a> and 19.2-169.1<\/a>. A discharge under the provisions of this section shall not, however, prevent a reincarceration after a presentment<\/span> or indictment<\/span> has been found.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nACCUSED DISCHARGED FROM JAIL IF NOT INDICTED IN TIME (\u00a7 19.2-242)\n\nA person in jail on a criminal charge that has been certified or otherwise\ntransferred from a district court to a circuit court shall be discharged from\nimprisonment if a presentment, indictment or information be not found or filed\nagainst him before the end of the second term of the court at which he is held\nto answer, unless it appear to the court that material witnesses for the\nCommonwealth have been enticed or kept away or are prevented from attendance by\nsickness or inevitable accident, and except, also, in the cases provided in \u00a7\u00a7\n19.2-168.1 and 19.2-169.1. A discharge under the provisions of this section\nshall not, however, prevent a reincarceration after a presentment or indictment\nhas been found.\n\nHISTORY: Code 1950, \u00a7 19.1-163; 1960, c. 366; 1975, c. 495; 2018, c. 551.","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}}