State criminal law
Virginia criminal law
An overview of how criminal cases work in Virginia — its courts, charge classifications, procedure, and paths to relief.
Criminal cases in Virginia are handled in its state courts under Virginia’s own penal code, with a parallel federal track for federal offenses. The specific classifications, penalty ranges, and time limits below are shown only when verified against an official source.
The Virginia framework
Court structure & county/circuit mapping
Misdemeanor & felony classifications
General penalty framework
Bail & pretrial system
Criminal procedure & sentencing
Probation & violations
Record sealing & expungement
Juvenile system
Major collateral consequences
Every legal value in this framework is a cited CriminalLex read-through (doc #5) once Wave-1 ingestion lands for Virginia. Until verified against an official source, no penalty, classification, or waiting period is shown.
Charges in Virginia
Find your court
Virginia expungement & sealingEligibility, waiting periods, and how to begin.Courts & courthousesVerified judicial geography — county to court to circuit.
County pages and verified courthouse data appear here as judicial geography is confirmed. All states →
Editorial direction: Antonio G. JimenezFormer prosecutor and former criminal defense attorney · Member, The Florida Bar