                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

PUNISHMENT FOR CONVICTION OF FELONY; PENALTY (§ 18.2-10)

The authorized punishments for conviction of a felony are:

a. 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 offense and who is sentenced to imprisonment for life upon
conviction of a Class 1 felony shall not be eligible for (i) parole, (ii) any
good conduct allowance or any earned sentence credits under Chapter 6 (&#xA7;
53.1-186 et seq.) of Title 53.1, or (iii) conditional release pursuant to &#xA7;
53.1-40.01 or 53.1-40.02.

b. 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.

c. 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.

d. 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.

e. 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 jury or the court trying the
case without a jury, confinement in jail for not more than 12 months and a fine
of not more than $2,500, either or both.

f. 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 jury or the court trying the
case without a jury, confinement in jail for not more than 12 months and a fine
of not more than $2,500, either or both.

g. 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 defendant is not a natural person, the court shall impose
only a fine.
			For any felony offense 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
court orders 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 probation pursuant to &#xA7; 19.2-295.2 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 felony offense prohibiting proximity to children as described in
subsection A of &#xA7; 18.2-370.2, the sentencing court is authorized to impose
the punishment set forth in that section in addition to any other penalty
provided by law.

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.