2026 SESSION

ENROLLED

VIRGINIA ACTS OF ASSEMBLY -- CHAPTER

An Act to direct the Department of Juvenile Justice to establish standards relating to limiting room or cell confinement for minors committed to a juvenile correctional facility; report.

[H 91]

Approved

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. § 1. That the Department of Juvenile Justice (the Department), in collaboration with juvenile justice advocates, public defenders, attorneys for the Commonwealth, and other relevant stakeholders, shall establish clear standards for maximizing the time that minors serving a period of commitment in a juvenile correctional facility spend out of the confinement of their rooms or cells. Prior to establishing such standards, the Department and other collaborators shall study and consider the psychological, social, developmental, and behavioral benefits of limiting the amount of time per day that a minor is confined to his room, including the impact of such limitation of confinement on the safety of the juvenile correctional facility and successful reentry into the community. In establishing such standards, the Department shall (i) develop a minimum number of hours per day that committed minors shall spend out of the confinement of their rooms or cells; (ii) implement and provide programming that meets the needs, interests, and goals of minors committed to the facility; (iii) train staff in trauma-informed care and best practices for youth development to ensure effective delivery of such programming; (iv) collaborate with community organizations and businesses to create opportunities for minors; and (v) collect and review program participation data from community partners and staff to monitor compliance and assess outcomes. The Department shall submit a report on the data collected pursuant to clause (v) and any recommendations based on such data to the Commission on Youth and to the Chairs of the Senate Committee on Rehabilitation and Social Services and the House Committees on Health and Human Services and Public Safety by November 1, 2026.