<?xml version="1.0"?>
<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>55045</law_id><section_number>16.1-247.1</section_number><catch_line>Custodial interrogation of a child; parental notification and contact; inadmissibility of statement</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="16.1">Courts Not of Record</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="11">Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Courts</unit><unit label="article" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="4">Immediate Custody, Arrest, Detention and Shelter Care</unit></structure><text>
						<section id="A"><p><span class="prefix-number">A.</span> Prior to any custodial <span class="dictionary">interrogation</span> of a child by a <span class="dictionary">law</span>-enforcement officer who has arrested such child pursuant to subsection C, C1, or D of &#xA7; <a class="law" title="When and how child may be taken into immediate custody" href="/16.1-246/">16.1-246</a>, the child&#x2019;s parent, guardian, or legal custodian shall be notified of his <span class="dictionary">arrest</span> and the child shall have contact with his parent, guardian, or legal custodian. The notification and contact required by this subsection may be in person, electronically, by telephone, or by video conference. <a id="paragraph-201866" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/16.1-247.1/#A"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="B"><p><span class="prefix-number">B.</span> Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection A, a custodial <span class="dictionary">interrogation</span> may be conducted (i) if the child&#x2019;s parent, guardian, or legal custodian is a codefendant in the alleged <span class="dictionary">offense</span>; (ii) if the child&#x2019;s parent, guardian, or legal custodian has been arrested for, has been charged with, or is being investigated for a <span class="dictionary">crime</span> against the child; (iii) if, after every reasonable effort has been made to comply with subsection A, the child&#x2019;s parent, guardian, or legal custodian cannot be located or refuses contact with the child; or (iv) if <span class="dictionary">the law</span>-enforcement officer conducting the custodial <span class="dictionary">interrogation</span> reasonably believes the information sought is necessary to protect life, limb, or property from an imminent danger and <span class="dictionary">the law</span>-enforcement officer&#x2019;s questions are limited to those that are reasonably necessary to obtain such information. <a id="paragraph-201867" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/16.1-247.1/#B"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="C"><p><span class="prefix-number">C.</span> A law-enforcement officer shall be prohibited from knowingly and intentionally making false statements about any known <span class="dictionary">material</span> <span class="dictionary">fact</span>, including by use of <span class="dictionary">inauthentic replica documents</span>, prior to or during a custodial <span class="dictionary">interrogation</span> of a child in <span class="dictionary">order</span> to secure the cooperation, <span class="dictionary">confession</span>, or <span class="dictionary">conviction</span> of such child. As used in this subsection, &#x201C;<span class="dictionary">inauthentic replica documents</span>&#x201D; means any documents, including computer-generated documents, created by any means, including artificial intelligence, by a law-enforcement officer or his agent that (i) contain a false statement, signature, seal, letterhead, or contact information or (ii) materially misrepresent any <span class="dictionary">fact</span>. <a id="paragraph-201868" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/16.1-247.1/#C"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="D"><p><span class="prefix-number">D.</span> Except as provided in subsection B, if a law-enforcement officer knowingly violates the provisions of subsection A or C, any statements made by such child shall be inadmissible in any delinquency proceeding or criminal proceeding against such child, unless the attorney for the Commonwealth proves by a <span class="dictionary">preponderance of the evidence</span> that the statement was made knowingly, intelligently, and voluntarily. <a id="paragraph-201869" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/16.1-247.1/#D"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section></text><history>2020, c. 480; 2024, c. 719; 2025, c. 669.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
