The Virginia Parole Board's mission is to protect public safety and contribute to a fair and effective justice system by ensuring that persons who remain a threat to society remain incarcerated and those who no longer present a risk are released to become productive citizens. The Parole Board is empowered to make decisions regarding discretionary release of those inmates who are parole eligible; to revoke parole and post-release supervision of those found to be in violation of the terms of their release and to investigate, prepare reports and advise the Governor on requests for executive clemency. The Board also reviews and makes decisions on petitions for geriatric release and reviews appeals of cases for those declared ineligible for parole under the three-time law.

The Parole Board vision is to make parole and related decisions in a timely manner consistent with public safety, victim concerns, inmate rights and the wise use of state resources. We envision the Parole Board as a vital part of the Virginia justice system because it makes fair, consistent and impartial parole decisions and clemency recommendations in a timely manner; considers public protection, victim concerns and offender circumstances; makes wise use of state resources.

Service:  The Virginia Parole Board serves and is responsible to the public.  The Board values the trust the public bestows upon us, and we welcome their involvement. With this in mind, we strive to create a culture of value-based judgements to support effective decision making

Openness, Integrity and Accountability: We are committed to providing a system that is open to inspection by all; we conduct ourselves professionally through fair and honest behavior; we accept responsibility for our actions and decisions.

Teamwork:  We work together as a group as well as partner with our stakeholders to support mutual ideas and explore differences to get the job done, while maintaining the highest standards in our professional and personal life.

Respect:  We recognize the value in each person; we strive to treat others with courtesy, dignity, and consideration in our decisions.

The Virginia Parole Board was established by law in 1942 and is composed of five members appointed by the Governor.  The primary mission of the Parole Board is to protect public safety and contribute to a fair and effective justice system by considering the possible impact on public safety created by the release of an offender.  The Parole Board also considers the interests of society in determining whether justice has been served, the impact of the crime on victims, the extent of the offender’s rehabilitation, and his/her possible contribution to society if paroled. Empowered by Virginia Code Section 53.1-136, the Board makes the following decisions:

• to conditionally release inmates who are parole eligible,


• to revoke parole and post release supervision of those under supervision found to be in violation of the terms of their release, and


• to investigate, prepare reports and advise the Governor, when requested, on Executive Clemencies.

The Board has the legal responsibility to act on geriatric requests for conditional release under Virginia Code Section 53.1 - 40.01.

Va Code Section 53.1-134 - Creation of the Parole Board

Va Code Section 53.1- 136 - Powers and Duties of Board

Va Code Section 53.1-155 - Notification/input

Va Code Section 53.1-165 - Revocation of parole or postrelease supervision

Va Code Section 53.1-231 - Investigation of cases for executive clemency

The parole eligible population currently consists of a total of 2,005 offenders and the parole geriatric population consists of a total of 543 offenders and this number is quickly rising.  All parole eligible and qualified geriatric offenders receive a personal interview by a Parole Examiner.  Parole eligible offenders who are also geriatric eligible are required to submit a petition to the Parole Board to be considered for geriatric release.

The Parole Board has recently changed the procedures to allow offenders who are parole eligible in the future to also receive a personal interview by a Parole Examiner.

The Board members frequently meet personally with offenders to gain insight as to an offender’s suitability for parole prior to casting a vote of their case.

The Department of Corrections maintains a single Information System (VirginiaCORIS) that stores all offender related data.  The Parole Board’s module was recently integrated and is an integral part of this system, as the Board relies on much of the offender data for its decision-making process.  The Board has, and will continue working with the CORIS Project Management Team to resolve current system issues and efforts to enhance user productivity.

The Board encourages staff to increase its knowledge through training and in visiting facilities and programs.

The Virginia Parole Board is strategically located within the Department of Corrections’ Headquarters.  The facility is well-maintained and centrally located offering easy access for interested parties to meet with Board members.  This allows direct contact with Department of Corrections units such as Classification & Records, Parole Release, Medical Unit, etc., as well as easy access to DOC records.

The Board holds Board appointments with victims and inmate families in other areas of the state in order to accommodate them and make travel easier.

Offenders released on parole pose a risk to public safety, especially considering that the majority of offenders eligible for parole have committed violent crimes.  In the process of making the decisions, the Board must weigh numerous competing factors, including the interests of society in seeing that justice is served for the commission of a criminal offense; the interests of victims of crimes; whether public safety would be compromised by the release of an offender; and the interests of the offender and the extent of his/her rehabilitation.  The decisions must be made as expeditiously as possible so as to minimize uncertainty from inmates, victims, and inmate advocates.

The Parole Board must also consider the aging inmate population, as the costs involved to taxpayers for medical services will increase.  The Board must give this consideration but never at the expense of public safety.

All funding provided for Virginia Parole Board is through the Commonwealth's general fund.

The Virginia Parole Board does not generate revenues from service related activities.

The following table reflects the number of inmates reviewed and decisions rendered annually by the Parole Board.  Statistics also included are contacts made telephonically and through Board appointments with victims and advocates of parole.

No data

The Parole Board primarily provides services to inmate families, victims, attorneys and other parties interested in the release of an offender.  The agency is responsible for:

• Decisions on parole applications from offenders


• Decisions on parole and geriatric eligible offenders


• Decisions on parole revocations


• Recommendations to Governor on clemency petitions


• Decisions on appeals relating to "three-time loser" law


• Conducting appointments with victims


• Notifications to victims of possible parole grants


• Meetings with inmates' families for parole input

PAROLE – The function of the Parole Board is to make decisions regarding the granting of discretionary parole.  A total of 2,005 offenders were parole eligible prior to 8/30/19 and 937 will become eligible for parole after 8/30/19.

REVOCATIONS – The Parole Board reviews those who are in violation of the conditions of their parole or post-release supervision and determines which individuals should be returned to custody and which should be continued on supervision. There are approximately 200 violators reviewed annually.

GERIATRIC PETITIONS AND INTERVIEWS – Inmates who have reached age 60 and served 10 years or who are age 65 and have served 5 years may petition the Board for geriatric release. Offenders who were convicted after 1995 and meet the geriatric consideration criteria are scheduled to be interviewed by the Parole Board. Additionally, offenders who were convicted prior to 1995 but have parole eligibility dates in the future, are scheduled for an interview. Through FY 2019, approximately 543 inmates meet the minimum requirements to be geriatric eligible and the total geriatric population is increasing with a projected 11,574 becoming eligible after 6/1/19. Approximately 20% of the eligible geriatric offenders petition for release each year.

CLEMENCY PETITIONS – At the request of the Governor, the Board investigates the facts and circumstances of the original crime and other relevant information and makes a recommendation to the Governor. The Board evaluates approximately 1,500 petitions annually.

APPEALS OF THREE STRIKES STATUS – A person convicted of three murders, rapes or armed robberies that were not part of a common scheme or plan is not eligible for parole. The decision as to whether a person falls under the “three-strikes” statute is made by the Department of Corrections and may be appealed to the Parole Board.  In 2019, the Parole Board reviewed approximately 290 cases and overturned 205 offenders that were originally deemed to be ineligible under the three-strikes statute.

VICTIM ISSUES – The Parole Board diligently seeks victim input prior to releasing any inmate on discretionary parole. This effort is accomplished by attempting to locate the victims and families to obtain information about the impact of the crime.

BOARD APPOINTMENTS – The Parole Board offers both victims and inmate families the opportunity to meet with a member of the Board to personally express their feelings about the inmate’s possible parole. After the Board appointment, each victim is contacted personally to inform them of the Board’s decision.

The General Assembly of Virginia delegates the responsibility to the Parole Board to review violent and non-violent parole and geriatric eligible offenders and determine whether they are suitable for early release from incarceration prior to the completion of the sentence imposed by the court. The Board must also decide whether offenders released on parole, but who have violated conditions of their parole supervision, should be returned to prison. In making each decision, the Board must weigh numerous competing factors: • the interests of society in seeing that justice is served for the commission of a criminal offense • the interests of victims of crimes • whether public safety would be compromised by the release of an offender • the interests of the offender and the extent of his rehabilitation In addition to these factors, it is in everyone's interests that decisions be made as expeditiously as possible so as to minimize uncertainty. This goal is directly related to the Board's mission of protecting public safety and contributing to a fair and effective justice system.

The Board provides services to victims and inmate advocates by scheduling meetings with a member of the Board prior to the parole decision on an offender's case. This allows interested parties to express concerns or to advocate on the offender's suitability for parole.

If an offender is being considered for a parole grant or geriatric conditional release, the Board conducts extensive research to locate victims of the offender's crime. Each victim is contacted personally to inform them of the status of the Board's decision and to allow them an opportunity for input before the Board's decision is made final and reported to the offender.