Part-Time Jail Time: Jailors’ Perspectives on the Practice of Nonconsecutive Day Sentencing in Virginia

Abstract

Jurisdictions across the Commonwealth of Virginia are working to broaden and refine the implementation of community-oriented alternative sentencing programs. From the perspective of practitioners, this article examines the statutory expansion of one such alternative sanction in Virginia—nonconsecutive day sentencing (“weekend” or “part-time” jail time)—as adopted in Senate Bill No. 36 during the General Assembly’s 2018 Regular Session. Presenting mixed-methods survey results from a large sample of correctional professionals across the Commonwealth, the study finds little practitioner support for the expanded application of weekend jail programming. Based on such stakeholder input, the article discusses anticipated adverse effects of the statutory amendments passed in SB36 and argues that practitioners, with the assistance of criminal justice researchers, must lend their expertise to legislators in policy development process from proposal through implementation.