Virginia Law

A. 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.

B. Prior to establishing standards pursuant to subsection A, 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.

C. In establishing standards pursuant to subsection A, 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.

2026, c. 559.