{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-json\/53.1-71.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-text\/53.1-71.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-xml\/53.1-71.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-html\/53.1-71.html"}],"law_id":367827,"edition_id":2,"section_id":367827,"structure_id":52431,"section_number":"53.1-71","catch_line":"Courts to order jails erected and repaired","history":"Code 1950, \u00a7 53-129; 1982, c. 636.","full_text":"When it shall appear to the circuit court of any county or city that there is no jail therein or that the jail of such county or city is insecure, out of repair or otherwise inadequate, it shall be the duty of such court to award a rule in the name of the Commonwealth against the governing body of the county or city to show cause why a writ of mandamus should not issue commanding the governing body to erect a jail for the county or city, or to cause the existing jail of such county or city to be made secure, put in good repair, or rendered otherwise adequate, as the case may be.\n\n","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":1369137,"text":"When it shall appear to the circuit court of any county or city that there is no jail therein or that the jail of such county or city is insecure, out of repair or otherwise inadequate, it shall be the duty of such court to award a rule in the name of the Commonwealth against the governing body of the county or city to show cause why a writ of mandamus should not issue commanding the governing body to erect a jail for the county or city, or to cause the existing jail of such county or city to be made secure, put in good repair, or rendered otherwise adequate, as the case may be.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":52431,"edition_id":2,"name":"Establishment and Regulation of Facilities","identifier":"1","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":52383,"metadata":{"child_laws":7,"child_structures":0},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:58:43","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:34:46","permalink":{"id":1465285,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":52431,"identifier":"1","token":"53.1\/3\/1","url":"\/53.1\/3\/1\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":52383,"edition_id":2,"name":"Local Correctional Facilities","identifier":"3","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":3,"parent_id":52379,"metadata":{"child_laws":146,"child_structures":11},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:58:09","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:34:46","permalink":{"id":1465283,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":52383,"identifier":"3","token":"53.1\/3","url":"\/53.1\/3\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":52379,"edition_id":2,"name":"Prisons and Other Methods of Correction","identifier":"53.1","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":117,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{"child_laws":402,"child_structures":56},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:58:08","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:34:44","permalink":{"id":1464593,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":52379,"identifier":"53.1","token":"53.1","url":"\/53.1\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":367814,"structure_id":52431,"section_number":"53.1-68","catch_line":"Minimum standards for local correctional facilities and lock-ups; health inspections, behavioral health services inspections, and personnel","url":"\/53.1-68\/","token":"53.1\/3\/1\/53.1-68","metadata":false},{"id":367817,"structure_id":52431,"section_number":"53.1-69","catch_line":"Board may prohibit confinement and require transfer of prisoners in substandard facilities","url":"\/53.1-69\/","token":"53.1\/3\/1\/53.1-69","metadata":false},{"id":367815,"structure_id":52431,"section_number":"53.1-69.1","catch_line":"Review of death of inmates in local, regional, or community correctional facilities","url":"\/53.1-69.1\/","token":"53.1\/3\/1\/53.1-69.1","metadata":false},{"id":367816,"structure_id":52431,"section_number":"53.1-69.2","catch_line":"Administrative appeal of Board determinations","url":"\/53.1-69.2\/","token":"53.1\/3\/1\/53.1-69.2","metadata":false},{"id":367820,"structure_id":52431,"section_number":"53.1-70","catch_line":"Jurisdiction of court to enforce orders of Board; proceedings","url":"\/53.1-70\/","token":"53.1\/3\/1\/53.1-70","metadata":false},{"id":367819,"structure_id":52431,"section_number":"53.1-70.1","catch_line":"Transport of prisoners; authority","url":"\/53.1-70.1\/","token":"53.1\/3\/1\/53.1-70.1","metadata":false},{"id":367827,"structure_id":52431,"section_number":"53.1-71","catch_line":"Courts to order jails erected and repaired","url":"\/53.1-71\/","token":"53.1\/3\/1\/53.1-71","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":367819,"structure_id":52431,"section_number":"53.1-70.1","catch_line":"Transport of prisoners; authority","url":"\/53.1-70.1\/","token":"53.1\/3\/1\/53.1-70.1","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/53.1-71\/","history_text":"

The record of this law\u2019s original creation isn\u2019t available online. It has been modified 1 time. Those modifications are cataloged by \u201cThe Acts of Assembly,\u201d a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly\u2019s website will be linked accordingly. That modification is as follows: in 1982, chapter 636.<\/p>","references":false,"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":1465311,"object_type":"law","relational_id":367827,"identifier":"53.1-71","token":"53.1\/3\/1\/53.1-71","url":"\/53.1-71\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/53.1-71\/","token":"53.1\/3\/1\/53.1-71","dublin_core":{"Title":"Courts to order jails erected and repaired","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 53.1-71","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

When it shall appear to the circuit<\/span> court<\/span> of any county or city that there is no jail therein or that the jail of such county or city is insecure, out of repair or otherwise inadequate, it shall be the duty of such court<\/span> to award a rule in the name of the Commonwealth against the governing body of the county or city to show cause why a writ of mandamus<\/span> should not issue<\/span> commanding the governing body to erect a jail for the county or city, or to cause the existing jail of such county or city to be made secure, put in good repair, or rendered otherwise adequate, as the case may be.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nCOURTS TO ORDER JAILS ERECTED AND REPAIRED (\u00a7 53.1-71)\n\nWhen it shall appear to the circuit court of any county or city that there is no\njail therein or that the jail of such county or city is insecure, out of repair\nor otherwise inadequate, it shall be the duty of such court to award a rule in\nthe name of the Commonwealth against the governing body of the county or city to\nshow cause why a writ of mandamus should not issue commanding the governing body\nto erect a jail for the county or city, or to cause the existing jail of such\ncounty or city to be made secure, put in good repair, or rendered otherwise\nadequate, as the case may be.\n\nHISTORY: Code 1950, \u00a7 53-129; 1982, c. 636.","edition":{"id":2,"name":"2026","slug":"2026","date_created":"2026-07-16 18:40:23","date_modified":"2026-08-02 15:14:36","current":1,"order_by":2,"last_import":"2026-08-02 12:37:30"}}