Criminal Sentencing Commission, Virginia
Purpose
The Virginia Sentencing Commission shall develop discretionary sentencing guidelines to achieve the goals of certainty, consistency, and adequacy of punishment with due regard to the seriousness of the offense, the dangerousness of the offender, deterrence of individuals from committing criminal offenses and the use of alternative sanctions, where appropriate.
Term
Except for legislative members and gubernatorial appointments, appointments to the Commission made on and after January 1, 2001, shall be for terms of four years. Legislative members shall serve terms coincident with their terms of office.
Composition
The Commission shall be composed of seventeen members as follows: six judges or justices, who may be judges of a circuit court who regularly hear criminal cases or judges or justices of the Supreme Court or the Court of Appeals, to be appointed by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia; one person who is not an active member of the judiciary, to be appointed as Chairman by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia for a term of four years subject to confirmation by the General Assembly. The Chairman shall designate a vice-chairman from among the other members to serve a term commensurate with that of the Chairman; the Chairman of the House Committee for Courts of Justice or his designee who shall be a member of the committee and two persons to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Delegates; the Chairman of the Senate Committee for Courts of Justice or his designee who shall be a member of the committee and one person to be appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules; four persons to be appointed by the Governor, at least one of whom shall be a representative of a crime victims' organization or a victim of crime as defined in subsection B of § 19.2-11.01; and the Attorney General of Virginia or his designee for a term commensurate with his term of office. All members shall be citizens of the Commonwealth.
Vacant Seats
No seats are available at this time. If you are interested in joining this board in the future, please submit an application here.
Current Board Members
Judge Robert J. Humphreys
Member of the General Public Membership expires on 12/31/2026Mrs. Bethany Harrison
Member of the General Public Membership expires on 12/31/2026Nancy G. Parr
Member of the General Public Membership expires on 12/31/2028