Virginia detention- Fairfax criminal lawyer says you can help write the answer about whether you will get locked up

Virginia detention is no picnic and no more desirable than the baloney sandwiches that are often served for food. As a Fairfax criminal lawyer, I know that you can help write the answer about whether you will get convicted of a crime and what your penalty will be. You help take control of your destiny in criminal court by obtaining the right lawyer for you, and working closely with your lawyer as a team, with the defendant often engaging in voluntary self improvement as his or her lawyer does the heavy lifting preparing for and executing courthouse battle.

Do I have to go to Virginia detention in the first place?

If you get arrested rather than served a summons, you likely will experience Virginia detention, if even briefly, while waiting for the magistrate to review your case and determine whether to permit you to be released from jail or to leave that determination in the hands of a judge. If you do not get convicted or get locked up for an alleged violation of any terms and conditions of pretrial release, then you will not go to jail for the Virginia DUI matter or criminal case at hand. Being jailed is not only distasteful for loss of liberty in far from luxurious surroundings, in the Covid incubator of a jail. Being jailed can harm one’s livelihood, reputation and security clearance status than being convicted but not being locked up.

If I receive a Virginia jail sentence, will I be eligible for weekend lockup, home detention or work release?

Virginia detention in the Fairfax County jail and other northern Virginia jails is less likely during the Covid-19 pandemic to make weekend incarceration, home detention and work release a possibility than some other detention centers in the commonwealth that routinely allow serving District Court jail sentences on weekends, and sometimes allow home detention and work release. The rationale behind not allowing such relief for inmates is to reduce the exposure of jail residents to the Covid that can be caught from outside the jail walls. At the same time, even if the Fairfax adult detention center has not returned to enabling weekend jail sentencing and work release, the work release section of the Fairfax jail is a more pleasant wing of the jail than other parts, and can be requested for an inmate’s stay at the facility.

If I get convicted in Virginia District Court and the judge orders active jail time, how long will it take for me to get released from detention pending appeal?

Do all Virginia judges know that when they order active jail time on a criminal defendant who files an appeal, that several hours can pass for the defendant to be released from Virginia detention after signing and filing a notice of appeal and satisfying any bond set pending appeal? This is why I ask the judge to let my client sign his appeal paperwork in the courtroom or the adjacent courthouse lockup, in order to be taken to the jail in the first place.

Should I fully proceed with appealing my Virginia District Court conviction?

Whether to use an appeal as an opportunity to delay the execution of Virginia detention time or to pursue an acquittal, is something to discuss with your lawyer. Read here for further information about your appeal rights from a Virginia district court conviction.

What personal items and medicines may I bring for my time in jail? How do I practice my religion while incarcerated? How do I get my unique dietary situation addressed?

Check in advance with your lawyer or the jail about what personal items you may bring to your Virginia detention, requirements for your prescription medicines, and handling religious requirements, dietary and health needs and commissary. The Fairfax jail and other jails generally permit wearing five white cotton underwear briefs into the jail worn pair by pair, one within the other pair (only if worn, not if carried in), including a pair of white cotton socks, a white cotton undershirt, and a white or off white long-john long sleeve undershirt. It is good to bring a sufficient supply of your prescription medicine with the prescription label thereon. Check with the jail chaplain about meeting your religious needs, including if your religion requires a head covering. If your religious book(s) are not immediately available at the jail, you can check with the chaplain about having the books delivered directly to the chaplain through such a company as Amazon. Dietary needs are likely only to be accommodated for purposes of basic health and religious needs; vegetarianism with no religious connection does not assure jail accommodation beyond eating your baloney sandwich after first removing the baloney. Find out the jail’s commissary and phone account procedures to make sure you have the funds for both and are meeting commissary ordering deadlines.

Fairfax criminal lawyer Jonathan Katz pursues your best defense against Virginia DUI, felony and misdemeanor prosecutions. See for yourself the great things Jon Katz can do for your defense and liberty, through a free in-person confidential consultation, scheduled through Jon’s staff at 703-383-1100.