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Virginia legal term

Qualified parent in Virginia Criminal Law

Current through 2026 Virginia legislative session

In Virginia criminal law, “Qualified parent” is a term defined by statute rather than by its everyday meaning. Its statutory definition — quoted verbatim below — controls how the term is applied throughout the Virginia criminal code.

What does “Qualified parent” mean in Virginia criminal law?

"Qualified parent" means a parent who has (i) been diagnosed, as evidenced in writing, by a licensed physician to be afflicted with a progressive or chronic condition caused by injury, disease or illness from which, to a reasonable degree of medical probability, the patient cannot recover or (ii) reason to anticipate possible detention, incarceration, or deportation connected to an immigration action. (Va. Code Ann. § 16.1-349)

Statutes defining or using this term

Related terms in the same statutes

This reference is informational and is not legal advice.