An Act to amend and reenact §§ 53.1-136, 53.1-154, 53.1-154.1, and 53.1-155 of the Code of Virginia and to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 53.1-151.1, relating to discretionary parole criteria guidelines.
HB1030 revises Virginia’s discretionary parole framework by directing the Parole Board to use published, governor-approved criteria guidelines when evaluating parole suitability. The bill requires the Board to consider rehabilitation, education, employment, community and family supports, conduct while incarcerated, age at offense, time served, and verified release plans, and it creates a scoring worksheet that places prisoners into tiers that guide parole consideration. Prisoners must receive the worksheet in advance, may challenge inaccurate scores, and must receive written, individualized reasons if parole is denied or if the Board departs from the worksheet recommendation in certain cases.
The bill also expands procedural transparency and participation in parole decisions. It requires monthly and annual public reporting on parole actions, including individualized reasons and board votes, and it requires final parole deliberations to occur in a public meeting with opportunities for the prisoner, counsel, and victims to attend or participate remotely. It also strengthens notice to prosecutors and victims, preserves victim testimony in the parole file, and adds transition-program support for prisoners nearing release. The act takes effect July 1, 2027.
HB1030 amends §§ 53.1-136, 53.1-154, 53.1-154.1, and 53.1-155 of the Code of Virginia and adds § 53.1-151.1, materially changing how the Virginia Parole Board evaluates discretionary parole. It creates a formal criteria worksheet and tiered scoring system, requires disclosure and correction of scoring information, mandates written explanations for denials and deviations, and increases reporting and public-meeting obligations. It also reinforces victim-notification and prosecutor-notification procedures and ties parole conditions to behavioral health treatment plans where applicable. The bill affects incarcerated people eligible for parole, the Parole Board, the Department of Corrections, victims, prosecutors, and counsel, while leaving the Board’s ultimate discretion intact.
The bill appears to have broad bipartisan support and a generally favorable reception. It moved through subcommittee, committee, both chambers, and the governor’s recommendation process with overwhelmingly positive votes, including several unanimous or near-unanimous committee and floor votes. The final concurrence vote in the Senate was not unanimous, indicating some reservations, but the overall legislative history shows strong support for the measure.
The main points of contention are likely the balance between transparency and parole-board discretion, and the extent to which the new scoring system constrains individualized decision-making. Some provisions require public disclosure of parole decisions, board votes, and individualized reasons, which may raise concerns about privacy, administrative burden, or the chilling effect on candid deliberations. There may also be disagreement over the weight given to rehabilitation, age, time served, and release plans versus offense severity and public safety, as well as over expanded victim participation and notice requirements. Even so, the recorded votes suggest these concerns did not prevent passage.