KLS Keeping Law Simple Legislation in plain English

Straight-ahead summaries built from the official bill text. We keep the source links front and center and leave the decision up to you.

Back to Virginia

HB91 • 2026

Minors; limiting room or cell confinement in a juvenile correctional facility, report.

An Act to direct the Department of Juvenile Justice to establish standards relating to limiting room or cell confinement for minors committed to a juvenile correctional facility; report.

Children
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Seibold
Last action
2026-04-13
Official status
Acts of Assembly Chapter
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide information about specific training programs for staff beyond trauma-informed care and youth development practices.

Limiting Room or Cell Confinement for Minors in Juvenile Facilities

This act requires the Department of Juvenile Justice to create standards that limit how long minors can be confined to their rooms or cells and report on these standards' effects.

What This Bill Does

  • The Department of Juvenile Justice must work with stakeholders to set rules for limiting room or cell confinement time for minors in juvenile correctional facilities.
  • Before setting the rules, the department needs to study how less confinement can help minors psychologically, socially, and developmentally, and also keep the facility safe.
  • The department has to develop a minimum number of hours per day that minors must spend outside their rooms or cells.
  • The department is required to train staff on trauma-informed care and youth development practices.
  • The department needs to work with community organizations and businesses to provide opportunities for minors in juvenile facilities.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Minors committed to juvenile correctional facilities
  • Staff working at juvenile correctional facilities
  • Community organizations that partner with the Department of Juvenile Justice

Terms To Know

Trauma-informed care
A way of providing services that recognizes and responds to the effects of trauma on an individual's life.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify what happens if the department fails to comply with these requirements.
  • It is unclear how much funding will be provided for implementing and enforcing these new standards.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

HB91AS1

2026-02-23 • Committee

Rehabilitation and Social Services Amendment

Plain English: The amendment changes the wording in the bill to update committee references and add a new department.

  • Changes 'Chairmen' to 'Chairs'.
  • Replaces 'Committee' with 'Committees'.
  • Adds 'and Public Safety' after 'Services'.
HB91EDOC

2026-02-24 • Senate

Senate Amendments

Plain English: The amendment changes the wording of certain committee titles in the bill to reflect plural forms and adds a new department.

  • Changes 'Chairmen' to 'Chairs'.
  • Replaces 'Committee' with 'Committees'.
  • Adds 'and Public Safety' after 'Social Services'.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-13 Governor

    Approved by Governor-Chapter 559 (effective 7/1/2026)

  2. 2026-04-13 Governor

    Approved by Governor-Chapter 559 (effective 7/1/2026)

  3. 2026-04-13 Governor

    Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0559)

  4. 2026-03-10 House

    Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 10, 2026

  5. 2026-03-10 Governor

    Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026

  6. 2026-03-03 House

    Signed by Speaker

  7. 2026-03-03 Senate

    Signed by President

  8. 2026-03-03 House

    Enrolled

  9. 2026-03-03 House

    Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB91ER)

  10. 2026-03-03 House

    Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB91)

  11. 2026-02-26 House

    Senate amendments agreed to by House (87-Y 8-N 0-A)

  12. 2026-02-24 Senate

    Read third time

  13. 2026-02-24 Senate

    Engrossed by Senate as amended

  14. 2026-02-24 Rehabilitation and Social Services

    Rehabilitation and Social Services Amendments agreed to

  15. 2026-02-24 Senate

    Passed Senate with amendments (36-Y 2-N 0-A)

  16. 2026-02-23 Senate

    Rules suspended

  17. 2026-02-23 Senate

    Rules suspended

  18. 2026-02-23 Senate

    Passed by for the day

  19. 2026-02-23 Senate

    Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) (37-Y 0-N 0-A)

  20. 2026-02-23 Senate

    Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)

  21. 2026-02-20 Rehabilitation and Social Services

    Reported from Rehabilitation and Social Services with amendments (11-Y 4-N)

  22. 2026-01-30 Senate

    Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading)

  23. 2026-01-30 Rehabilitation and Social Services

    Referred to Committee on Rehabilitation and Social Services

  24. 2026-01-29 House

    Read third time and passed House (86-Y 12-N 0-A)

  25. 2026-01-28 House

    Moved from Uncontested Calendar to Regular Calendar

  26. 2026-01-28 House

    Read second time and engrossed

  27. 2026-01-27 House

    Read first time

  28. 2026-01-23 Public Safety

    Reported from Public Safety (22-Y 0-N)

  29. 2026-01-22 Subcommittee #2

    Subcommittee recommends reporting (7-Y 0-N)

  30. 2026-01-20 Subcommittee #2

    Assigned HPS sub: Subcommittee #2

  31. 2026-01-08 House

    Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB91)

  32. 2026-01-01 House

    Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26102332D

  33. 2026-01-01 Public Safety

    Referred to Committee on Public Safety

Official Summary Text

Department of Juvenile Justice; limiting room or cell confinement for minors committed to a juvenile correctional facility; report.
Directs the Department of Juvenile Justice, in collaboration with relevant stakeholders, to establish clear standards to maximize the amount of time that a minor committed to a juvenile correctional facility spends out of the confinement of his room or cell. The bill directs the Department to study and consider the benefits to minors of limiting such confinement and the impact of such benefits on factors such as the safety of the facility and successful reentry into the community, and, in considering and studying such benefits, to develop a minimum number of hours per day that minors committed to a juvenile correctional facility shall spend out of the confinement of their rooms or cells. The bill directs the Department to report on certain data collected after developing and implementing such standards and other related training and programming to the Commission on Youth and the Chairs of the Senate Committee on Rehabilitation and Social Services and the House Committees on Health and Human Services and Public Safety by November 1, 2026. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Commission on Youth.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
An Act to direct the Department of Juvenile Justice to establish standards relating to limiting room or cell confinement for minors committed to a juvenile correctional facility; report.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1.
§ 1. That the Department of Juvenile Justice (the Department), in collaboration with juvenile justice advocates, public defenders, attorneys for the Commonwealth, and other relevant stakeholders, shall establish clear standards for maximizing the time that minors serving a period of commitment in a juvenile correctional facility spend out of the confinement of their rooms or cells. Prior to establishing such standards, the Department and other collaborators shall study and consider the psychological, social, developmental, and behavioral benefits of limiting the amount of time per day that a minor is confined to his room, including the impact of such limitation of confinement on the safety of the juvenile correctional facility and successful reentry into the community. In establishing such standards, the Department shall (i) develop a minimum number of hours per day that committed minors shall spend out of the confinement of their rooms or cells; (ii) implement and provide programming that meets the needs, interests, and goals of minors committed to the facility; (iii) train staff in trauma-informed care and best practices for youth development to ensure effective delivery of such programming; (iv) collaborate with community organizations and businesses to create opportunities for minors; and (v) collect and review program participation data from community partners and staff to monitor compliance and assess outcomes. The Department shall submit a report on the data collected pursuant to clause (v) and any recommendations based on such data to the Commission on Youth and to the Chairs of the Senate Committee on Rehabilitation and Social Services and the House Committees on Health and Human Services and Public Safety by November 1, 2026.