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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>66959</law_id><section_number>53.1-129</section_number><catch_line>Order permitting prisoners to work on state, county, city, town, certain private property or nonprofit organization property; bond of person in charge of prisoners</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><referred_to_by><reference>19.2-354</reference><reference>53.1-109</reference><reference>53.1-187</reference><reference>53.1-202</reference><reference>53.1-95.8</reference></referred_to_by><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="53.1">Prisons and Other Methods of Correction</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="3">Local Correctional Facilities</unit><unit label="article" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="7">Prisoner Programs and Treatment</unit></structure><text>
						<section><p>The <span class="dictionary">circuit</span> court of any county or city may, by <span class="dictionary">order</span> entered of record, allow persons confined in the jail of such county or city who are awaiting <span class="dictionary">disposition</span> of, or serving sentences imposed for, <span class="dictionary">misdemeanors</span> or felonies to work on (i) state, county, city or town property, (ii) any property owned by a nonprofit organization that is exempt from taxation under 26 U.S.C. &#xA7;&#xA0;501(c)(3) and that is organized and operated exclusively for charitable or social welfare purposes on a voluntary basis with the consent of the county, city, town or state agency or the local public service authority or upon the request of the nonprofit organization involved, (iii) private property that is part of a community improvement project sponsored by a locality or that has structures that are found to be public nuisances pursuant to &#xA7;&#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Abatement or removal of nuisances by localities; recovery of costs" href="/15.2-900/">15.2-900</a> and <a class="law" title="Authority to require removal, repair, etc., of buildings and other structures" href="/15.2-906/">15.2-906</a> provided that the court has reviewed and approved the project for the purposes herein and permits the prisoners to work on such project, (iv) any private property utilized by a nonprofit organization that is exempt from taxation under 26 U.S.C. &#xA7;&#xA0;501(c)(3), or (v) private property in any locality that meets the criteria under an <span class="dictionary">ordinance</span> adopted by such locality under &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Authority of localities to remove or repair the defacement of buildings, walls, fences and other structures" href="/15.2-908/">15.2-908</a>. The district court of any county or city may allow persons confined in the jail of such county or city who are awaiting <span class="dictionary">disposition</span> of, or serving sentences imposed for, <span class="dictionary">misdemeanors</span> to work on (a) state, county, city or town property, (b) any property owned by a nonprofit organization that is exempt from taxation under 26 U.S.C. &#xA7;&#xA0;501(c)(3) and that is organized and operated exclusively for charitable or social welfare purposes on a voluntary basis with consent of the county, city, town or state agency or the local public service authority or upon the request of the nonprofit organization involved, (c) private property that is part of a community improvement project sponsored by a locality or that has structures that are found to be public nuisances pursuant to &#xA7;&#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Abatement or removal of nuisances by localities; recovery of costs" href="/15.2-900/">15.2-900</a> and <a class="law" title="Authority to require removal, repair, etc., of buildings and other structures" href="/15.2-906/">15.2-906</a> provided that the court has reviewed and approved the project for the purposes herein and permits the prisoners to work on such project, (d) any private property utilized by a nonprofit organization that is exempt from taxation under 26 U.S.C. &#xA7;&#xA0;501(c)(3), or (e) private property in any locality that meets the criteria under an <span class="dictionary">ordinance</span> adopted by such locality under &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Authority of localities to remove or repair the defacement of buildings, walls, fences and other structures" href="/15.2-908/">15.2-908</a>. Prisoners performing work as provided in this paragraph may receive credit on their respective sentences for the work done, whether such sentences are imposed prior or subsequent to the work done, as the <span class="dictionary">court orders</span>.
		The court may, by <span class="dictionary">order</span> entered of record, require a person convicted of a <span class="dictionary">felony</span> to work on state, county, city or town property, with the consent of the county, city, town or state agency or the local public service authority involved, for such credit on his sentence as the <span class="dictionary">court orders</span>.
		In the event that a person other than the sheriff or jail superintendent is designated by the court to have charge of such prisoners while so working, the court shall require a <span class="dictionary">bond</span> of the person, in an amount to be fixed by the court, conditioned upon the faithful discharge of his duties. Neither the sheriff nor the jail superintendent shall be held responsible for any acts of omission or commission on the part of such person.
		Any person committed to jail upon a <span class="dictionary">felony</span> <span class="dictionary">offense</span> committed on or after January 1, 1995, who receives credit on his sentence as provided in this section shall not be entitled to good conduct credit, sentence credit, earned sentence credit, other credit, or a combination of any credits in excess of that permissible under Article 4 (&#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Eligibility for earned sentence credits" href="/53.1-202.2/">53.1-202.2</a> et seq.) of Chapter 6 of this title. So much of an <span class="dictionary">order</span> of any court contrary to the provisions of Article 4 shall be deemed null and void.</p></section></text><history>Code 1950, &#xA7; 53-165; 1976, c. 618; 1978, c. 609; 1982, c. 636; 1984, c. 43; 1991, c. 580; 1994, c. 269; 1997, cc. 134, 546; 1998, c. 311; 1999, cc. 277, 951, 1007; 2001, cc. 185, 196; 2003, cc. 818, 820; 2005, c. 409; 2008, c. 623; 2010, c. 132.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
