SB65: Community criminal justice boards; membership.

SENATE BILL NO. 65
Offered January 9, 2008
Prefiled December 21, 2007
A BILL to amend and reenact § 9.1-178 of the Code of Virginia, relating to community criminal justice boards; membership.
Patron-- Howell

Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1.  That § 9.1-178 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 9.1-178. Community criminal justice boards.

A. Each county or city or combination thereof developing and establishing a local pretrial services or a community-based probation services agency pursuant to this article shall establish a community criminal justice board. Each county and city participating in local pretrial services or local community-based probation services shall be represented on the community criminal justice board. In the event that one county or city appropriates funds to these services as part of a multijurisdictional effort, any other participating county or city shall be considered to be participating if such locality appropriates funds to these services. Appointments to the board shall be made by each local governing body. In cases of multijurisdictional participation, unless otherwise agreed upon, each participating city or county shall have an equal number of appointments. Boards shall be composed of the number of members established by a resolution or ordinance of each participating jurisdiction.

B. Each board shall include, at a minimum, the following members: a person appointed by each governing body to represent the governing body; a judge of the general district court; a circuit court judge; a juvenile and domestic relations district court judge; a chief magistrate; one chief of police or the sheriff in a jurisdiction not served by a police department to represent law enforcement; an attorney for the Commonwealth; a public defender or an attorney who is experienced in the defense of criminal matters; a sheriff or the regional jail administrator responsible for jails serving those jurisdictions involved in local pretrial services and community-based probation services; a local educator; and a community services board administrator, one person representing a provider of mental health services, and one person who is a consumer of mental health services. Any officer of the court appointed to a community criminal justice board pursuant to this subsection may designate a member of his staff approved by the governing body to represent him at meetings of the board.