An Act to amend and reenact §§ 9.1-102 and 15.2-1708 of the Code of Virginia, relating to Department of Criminal Justice Services; powers and duties; local and regional jails; repeal of model addiction recovery program.
HB454 amends two sections of the Code of Virginia governing the Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) and local and regional jails. The bill updates DCJS’s powers and duties in § 9.1-102, which is the statute that authorizes the department to set minimum training standards and curriculum requirements for a range of criminal justice personnel, including law-enforcement officers, field training officers, courthouse security personnel, deputy sheriffs, jail officers, correctional officers, and dispatchers. The text shown continues existing training mandates, including specialized instruction on crisis intervention, pregnant inmates, and dementia-related response protocols for dispatchers.
The bill’s title also indicates a change to § 15.2-1708 concerning local and regional jails and the repeal of a model addiction recovery program. Based on the caption, the legislation appears to remove or discontinue a statutory model addiction recovery program previously associated with jail operations, while leaving DCJS’s broader training and oversight framework in place. The bill was enacted as Chapter 798 and approved on April 13, 2026.
Its impact on state law is to revise the statutory framework for criminal justice training and jail-related programming, affecting DCJS, local and regional correctional facilities, sheriffs’ offices, jail officers, correctional officers, and dispatchers. By amending § 9.1-102, the bill preserves and organizes mandatory training requirements for personnel who interact with detainees, inmates, and the public, and by amending § 15.2-1708 it changes the law governing jail-based addiction recovery programming. The practical effect is administrative and operational rather than creating a new criminal offense or broad regulatory scheme.
Because no committee transcripts or recorded votes were provided, there is no direct evidence of debate, opposition, or support in the available materials. The bill’s text suggests a generally technical and institutional purpose, focused on criminal justice administration, jail operations, and the repeal of a specific program rather than a controversial policy shift. Any contention would most likely center on the elimination of the model addiction recovery program and on how local and regional jails should handle treatment-oriented services, but that is not documented in the provided record.
HB454 amends § 9.1-102 to continue and organize DCJS’s authority over mandatory training standards for law-enforcement and correctional personnel, and it amends § 15.2-1708 to address local and regional jail law by repealing a model addiction recovery program. The bill affects DCJS, sheriffs, jail officers, correctional officers, dispatchers, and local/regional jail operations, but it does not appear to create a new enforcement regime or criminal penalty.
No committee discussion or vote record was provided, so the available evidence does not show explicit support or opposition. The bill appears largely technical and administrative in nature, suggesting a neutral-to-positive reception focused on updating criminal justice statutes and removing an outdated or undesired program. The enacted chapter status indicates it ultimately passed.
The only likely point of contention apparent from the bill title is the repeal of the model addiction recovery program in the jail statute, which could draw concern from advocates for treatment-based responses to substance use disorder in correctional settings. Otherwise, the bill’s remaining provisions are standard DCJS training and jail-administration updates, which are typically less controversial. No specific opposing viewpoints are documented in the provided materials.