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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>57599</law_id><section_number>53.1-134.1</section_number><catch_line>Board decisions; voting requirements</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="53.1">Prisons and Other Methods of Correction</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="4">Probation and Parole</unit><unit label="article" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="1">Administration Generally</unit></structure><text>
						<section><p>In the case of a person serving life imprisonment for <span class="dictionary">murder</span> of the first degree pursuant to &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="First and second degree murder defined; punishment" href="/18.2-32/">18.2-32</a>, the final deliberation and vote of whether to grant such person <span class="dictionary">parole</span> shall be attended by a <span class="dictionary">panel</span> of four or more members of the <span class="dictionary">Board</span>. In all other cases, the final deliberation and vote shall be attended by a <span class="dictionary">panel</span> of no fewer than three members of the <span class="dictionary">Board</span>. The <span class="dictionary">Board</span> shall promulgate rules to ensure that such members are randomly assigned to <span class="dictionary">panels</span> and to serve on an equal number of <span class="dictionary">panels</span>, as is reasonably possible.
		A decision to grant discretionary <span class="dictionary">parole</span> shall require the concurrence of a majority of members present for the final deliberation and vote, except that in cases of a person serving life imprisonment for <span class="dictionary">murder</span> of the first degree pursuant to &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="First and second degree murder defined; punishment" href="/18.2-32/">18.2-32</a>, a decision to grant discretionary <span class="dictionary">parole</span> shall require the concurrence of four or more of the members present for the final deliberation and vote.</p></section></text><history>2024, c. 458; 2025, c. 716.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
