                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

FURLOUGHS GENERALLY; TRAVEL EXPENSES; PENALTIES FOR VIOLATIONS (§ 53.1-37)

A. The Director may extend the limits of confinement of any prisoner in any
state correctional facility to permit him a furlough under the provisions of
this section for the purpose of visiting his home or family. Such furlough shall
be for a period to be prescribed by the Director or his designee, in his
discretion, not to exceed three days in addition to authorized travel time.
Except for furloughs permitted under subsection C, the time during which a
prisoner is on furlough shall not be counted as time served against any
sentence, and during any furlough, no earned sentence credits as defined in
&#xA7; 53.1-116, good conduct allowance, or any other reduction of sentence
shall accrue. The Director shall promulgate rules and regulations governing
extension of limits of confinement hereunder.

B. The Director may, when feasible, require the prisoner or his relatives to
bear the travel expense required for such visit or a prescribed portion thereof.
Such travel expense shall include all amounts necessarily expended for travel,
food and lodging of such prisoner and any accompanying personnel of the
Department during such furlough, and a per diem amount set by the Director to
reimburse the Department for furnishing custodial personnel.

C. The Director may permit a prisoner a furlough when the prisoner has been
approved for release on parole by the Parole Board and 30 days or less remain to
be served by the prisoner prior to his date of release on parole. Such a
furlough shall not exceed 30 days.

D. Any prisoner who willfully fails to remain within the limits of confinement
set by the Director hereunder, or who willfully fails to return within the time
prescribed to the place designated by the Director in granting such extension,
shall be guilty of an escape and shall be subject to penalty as though he left
the state correctional facility itself.

E. Any prisoner who without authority or just cause fails to remain within the
limits of confinement set by the Director hereunder, or who without authority or
just cause fails to return within the time prescribed to the place designated by
the Director in granting such extension, shall be guilty of a Class 2
misdemeanor.

F. Fifteen days prior to a prisoner&#8217;s participation in the furlough
program, the Director shall give the chief of police, sheriff or local chief
law-enforcement official of the locality in which the prisoner will stay, notice
of the prisoner&#8217;s participation. Such notice shall include the name,
address and criminal history, and any additional information the chief of police
or such officer may request. The transmission of information shall be
confidential and not subject to the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (&#xA7;
2.2-3700 et seq.).

HISTORY: Code 1950, § 53-37.1; 1972, c. 59; 1973, c. 234; 1976, c. 476; 1982,
c. 636; 1989, c. 652; 2003, c. 846; 2020, c. 759.