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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>83800</law_id><section_number>18.2-10</section_number><catch_line>Punishment for conviction of felony; penalty</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><referred_to_by><reference>18.2-51.1</reference><reference>18.2-77</reference></referred_to_by><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="18.2">Crimes and Offenses Generally</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="1">In General</unit><unit label="article" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="3">Classification of Criminal Offenses and Punishment Therefor</unit></structure><text>
						<section><p>The authorized punishments for <span class="dictionary">conviction</span> of a <span class="dictionary">felony</span> are:</p></section>
						<section id="a"><p><span class="prefix-number">a.</span> For Class 1 felonies, imprisonment for life and, subject to subdivision (g), a fine of not more than $100,000. Any person who was 18 years of age or older at the time of the <span class="dictionary">offense</span> and who is sentenced to imprisonment for life upon <span class="dictionary">conviction</span> of a Class 1 <span class="dictionary">felony</span> shall not be eligible for (i) <span class="dictionary">parole</span>, (ii) any good conduct allowance or any earned sentence credits under Chapter 6 (&#xA7; <a class="law" title="Term commences from date of final judgment; exceptions" href="/53.1-186/">53.1-186</a> et seq.) of Title 53.1, or (iii) conditional release pursuant to &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Conditional release of geriatric prisoners" href="/53.1-40.01/">53.1-40.01</a> or <a class="law" title="Conditional release of terminally ill prisoners" href="/53.1-40.02/">53.1-40.02</a>. <a id="paragraph-300383" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/18.2-10/#a"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="b"><p><span class="prefix-number">b.</span> For Class 2 felonies, imprisonment for life or for any term not less than 20 years and, subject to subdivision (g), a fine of not more than $100,000. <a id="paragraph-300384" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/18.2-10/#b"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="c"><p><span class="prefix-number">c.</span> For Class 3 felonies, a term of imprisonment of not less than five years nor more than 20 years and, subject to subdivision (g), a fine of not more than $100,000. <a id="paragraph-300385" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/18.2-10/#c"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="d"><p><span class="prefix-number">d.</span> For Class 4 felonies, a term of imprisonment of not less than two years nor more than 10 years and, subject to subdivision (g), a fine of not more than $100,000. <a id="paragraph-300386" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/18.2-10/#d"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="e"><p><span class="prefix-number">e.</span> For Class 5 felonies, a term of imprisonment of not less than one year nor more than 10 years, or in the discretion of the <span class="dictionary">jury</span> or the <span class="dictionary">court</span> trying the case without a <span class="dictionary">jury</span>, confinement in jail for not more than 12 months and a fine of not more than $2,500, either or both. <a id="paragraph-300387" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/18.2-10/#e"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="f"><p><span class="prefix-number">f.</span> For Class 6 felonies, a term of imprisonment of not less than one year nor more than five years, or in the discretion of the <span class="dictionary">jury</span> or the <span class="dictionary">court</span> trying the case without a <span class="dictionary">jury</span>, confinement in jail for not more than 12 months and a fine of not more than $2,500, either or both. <a id="paragraph-300388" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/18.2-10/#f"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="g"><p><span class="prefix-number">g.</span> Except as specifically authorized in subdivision (e) or (f), the court shall impose either a sentence of imprisonment together with a fine, or imprisonment only. However, if the <span class="dictionary">defendant</span> is not a natural person, the court shall impose only a fine.
			For any <span class="dictionary">felony</span> <span class="dictionary">offense</span> committed (i) on or after January 1, 1995, the court may, and (ii) on or after July 1, 2000, shall, except in cases in which the <span class="dictionary">court orders</span> a suspended term of confinement of at least six months, impose an additional term of incarceration of not less than six months nor more than three years, which shall be suspended conditioned upon successful completion of a period of <span class="dictionary">probation</span> pursuant to &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Probation of felons sentenced for offenses committed on and after January 1, 1995, and on and after July 1, 2000" href="/19.2-295.2/">19.2-295.2</a> and compliance with such other terms as the sentencing court may require. However, such additional term may only be imposed when the sentence includes an active term of incarceration in a correctional facility.
			For a <span class="dictionary">felony</span> <span class="dictionary">offense</span> prohibiting proximity to children as described in subsection A of &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Sex offenses prohibiting proximity to children; penalty" href="/18.2-370.2/">18.2-370.2</a>, the sentencing court is authorized to impose the punishment set forth in that section in addition to any other <span class="dictionary">penalty</span> provided by <span class="dictionary">law</span>. <a id="paragraph-300389" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/18.2-10/#g"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section></text><history>1975, cc. 14, 15; 1977, c. 492; 1990, c. 788; 1991, c. 7; 1994, Sp. Sess. II, cc. 1, 2; 1995, c. 427; 2000, cc. 361, 767, 770; 2003, cc. 1031, 1040; 2006, cc. 36, 733; 2008, c. 579; 2017, cc. 86, 212; 2020, cc. 1115, 1116; 2021, Sp. Sess. I, cc. 344, 345; 2025, c. 716.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
