In addition to other powers and duties prescribed by this article, each probation and parole officer shall:
1. Investigate and report on any case pending in any court or before any judge in his jurisdiction referred to him by the court or judge;
2. Supervise and assist all persons within his territory placed on probation, secure, as appropriate and when available resources permit, placement of such persons in a substance abuse treatment program which may include utilization of acupuncture and other treatment modalities, and furnish every such person with a written statement of the conditions of his probation and instruct him therein; if any such person has been committed to the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services under the provisions of Chapter 9 (§ 37.2-900 et seq.) of Title 37.2, the conditions of probation shall include the requirement that the person comply with all conditions given him by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, and that he follow all of the terms of his treatment plan;
3. Supervise and assist all persons within his territory released on parole or postrelease supervision, secure, as appropriate and when available resources permit, placement of such persons in a substance abuse treatment program which may include utilization of acupuncture and other treatment modalities, and, in his discretion, assist any person within his territory who has completed his parole, postrelease supervision, or has been mandatorily released from any correctional facility in the Commonwealth and requests assistance in finding a place to live, finding employment, or in otherwise becoming adjusted to the community;
4. Arrest and recommit to the place of confinement from which he was released, or in which he would have been confined but for the suspension of his sentence or of its imposition, for violation of the terms of probation, post-release supervision pursuant to § 19.2-295.2 or parole, any probationer, person subject to post-release supervision or parolee under his supervision, or as directed by the Chairman, Board member or the court, pending a hearing by the Board or the court, as the case may be;
5. Keep such records, make such reports, and perform other duties as may be required of him by the Director and the court or judge by whom he was authorized;
6. Order and conduct, in his discretion, drug and alcohol screening tests of any probationer, person subject to post-release supervision pursuant to § 19.2-295.2 or parolee under his supervision who the officer has reason to believe is engaged in the illegal use of controlled substances or marijuana, or the abuse of alcohol. The cost of the test may be charged to the person under supervision. Regulations governing the officer's exercise of this authority shall be promulgated by the Director;
7. Have the power to carry a concealed weapon in accordance with regulations promulgated by the Director and upon the certification of appropriate training and specific authorization by a judge of a circuit court;
8. Provide services in accordance with any contract entered into between the Department of Corrections and the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services pursuant to § 37.2-912;
9. Pursuant to any contract entered into between the Department of Corrections and the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, probation and parole officers shall have the power to provide intensive supervision services to persons placed on conditional release, regardless of whether the person has any time remaining to serve on any criminal sentence, pursuant to Chapter 9 (§ 37.2-900 et seq.);
10. Determine by reviewing the Department of Forensic Science DNA data bank sample tracking system upon intake and again prior to release whether a blood, saliva, or tissue sample is stored in the data bank for each person placed on probation or parole required to submit a sample pursuant to Article 1.1 (§ 19.2-310.2 et seq.) of Chapter 18 of Title 19.2 and, if a person's sample is not stored in the data bank, require the person placed on probation or parole to submit a sample for DNA analysis;
11. For every offender accepted pursuant to the Interstate Compact for the Supervision of Adult Offenders (§ 53.1-176.1 et seq.) who has been convicted of an offense that, if committed in Virginia, would require the offender to submit a sample pursuant to Article 1.1 (§ 19.2-310.2 et seq.) of Chapter 18 of Title 19.2, take a sample or verify that a sample has been taken and accepted into the data bank for DNA analysis in the Commonwealth;
12. Monitor the collection and payment of restitution to the victims of crime for offenders placed on supervised probation;
13. Prior to the release from supervision of any offender on probation as of July 1, 2019, review the criminal history record of the offender at least 60 days prior to release from supervision, or immediately if the offender is scheduled to be released from supervision within less than 60 days, to determine whether all offenses for which the offender is being supervised appear on such record and, if any such offense that is required to be reported to the Central Criminal Records Exchange pursuant to § 19.2-390 does not appear, (i) take and provide fingerprints and a photograph of the offender to the Central Criminal Records Exchange to be classified and filed as part of the criminal history record information pursuant to subsection D of § 19.2-390 and (ii) provide written or electronic notification to the Central Criminal Records Exchange within the Department of State Police that such offense does not appear on the offender's criminal history record; and
14. Upon intake of any offender on or after July 1, 2019, (i) take and provide fingerprints and a photograph of the offender to the Central Criminal Records Exchange to be classified and filed as part of the criminal history record information pursuant to subsection D of § 19.2-390, (ii) review the criminal history record of the offender to determine whether all offenses for which the offender is being supervised appear on such record, and (iii) if any such offense that is required to be reported to the Central Criminal Records Exchange pursuant to § 19.2-390 does not appear, provide written or electronic notification to the Central Criminal Records Exchange within the Department of State Police that such offense does not appear on the offender's criminal history record.
Nothing in this article shall require probation and parole officers to investigate or supervise cases before general district or juvenile and domestic relations district courts.
Code 1950, § 53-250; 1970, c. 648; 1973, c. 253; 1974, cc. 44, 45, 240; 1975, c. 630; 1976, c. 39; 1982, c. 636; 1992, cc. 188, 740; 1994, c. 935; 1994, 2nd Sp. Sess., cc. 1, 2; 1995, cc. 502, 574; 1997, c. 526; 2003, c. 944; 2006, cc. 698, 730, 863, 914; 2007, c. 528; 2009, cc. 813, 840; 2011, cc. 384, 410; 2014, cc. 674, 719; 2018, cc. 316, 671; 2019, cc. 782, 783; 2020, c. 759; 2022, cc. 41, 42.
Structure Code of Virginia
Title 53.1 - Prisons and Other Methods of Correction
Chapter 4 - Probation and Parole
§ 53.1-134. Creation of Parole Board; appointment of members
§ 53.1-135. Chairman; Vice-Chairman of Board
§ 53.1-136. Powers and duties of Board; notice of release of certain inmates
§ 53.1-137. Revocation hearings and subpoenas; penalty for disobeying subpoena or hindering hearing
§ 53.1-138. Access to prisoners; reports of prison officials
§ 53.1-139. Powers and duties of Chairman
§ 53.1-140. Powers and duties of Director of Department
§ 53.1-140.1. Department to provide services
§ 53.1-141. Division into probation and parole districts
§ 53.1-142. Assignments of officers to districts
§ 53.1-143. How officers authorized
§ 53.1-145. Powers and duties of probation and parole officers
§ 53.1-146. Use of officers as to persons convicted of local violations; payment of expenses
§ 53.1-147. Compensation; expenses
§ 53.1-148. Transfer of supervision from one probation officer to another
§ 53.1-149. Arrest of probationer without warrant; written statement
§ 53.1-150. Contributions by persons on parole, probation, and work release
§ 53.1-150.1. Contribution by persons on parole
§ 53.1-151. Eligibility for parole
§ 53.1-152. Eligibility of persons sentenced for combinations of felony and misdemeanor offenses
§ 53.1-153. Eligibility of persons sentenced to jails for more than twelve months
§ 53.1-154. Times at which Virginia Parole Board to review cases
§ 53.1-154.1. Authority of Director to recommend parole review; release upon review
§ 53.1-155. Investigation prior to release; transition assistance
§ 53.1-155.1. Participation in residential community program prior to final release
§ 53.1-156. Period of parole; not counted as part of term
§ 53.1-158. Release of prisoner subject to parole
§ 53.1-159. Mandatory release on parole
§ 53.1-160. Notice to be given upon prisoner release, escape, etc.
§ 53.1-163. Parolee considered as escapee after issuance of warrant
§ 53.1-164. Procedure for return of parolee or felon serving a period of postrelease supervision
§ 53.1-165.1. Limitation on the application of parole statutes
§ 53.1-166. Governor to execute compact
§ 53.1-169. Who may hold hearings; procedures therefor
§ 53.1-170. Rights of parolee or probationer at hearing
§ 53.1-173. Preliminary hearings for out-of-state parolees in Virginia
§ 53.1-174. Preliminary hearings by other states
§ 53.1-175. Revocation of parole by Virginia
§ 53.1-176. Revocation of parole by other states
§ 53.1-176.1. Enactment of the Interstate Compact for the Supervision of Adult Offenders
§ 53.1-176.2. Short title; Governor to execute; form of compact
§ 53.1-176.3. Virginia State Council for Interstate Adult Offender Supervision