Virginia public records · 2019–2024 · Va. Code § 18.2-250
What the Virginia sentencing record shows for Possession of controlled substances unlawful in the 20th Judicial Circuit
142 sentencing records from the 20th Judicial Circuit (2019–2024) with Va. Code § 18.2-250 as the primary offense.
Virginia Criminal Sentencing Commission data · 2019–2024 · Guideline compliance · Primary offenses only
How Va. Code § 18.2-250 sentences compared to the guidelines in the 20th Judicial Circuit
Above guideline range
16.5%
Record count
142
VA circuits reporting
29 of 31
Guideline compliance — 20th Judicial Circuit
Based on 79 of 142 guideline-eligible records · effective sentence reconstructed (fully-suspended = 0 months) · guideline range per Va. Code § 19.2-298.01 · primary offenses only
How these rates are computed
Guideline-compliance rates use the reconstructed effective sentence: a fully-suspended sentence counts as 0 months (below the guideline range), never as a missing value. This matches the methodology of the full CaseParity report and prevents overstating the share of sentences at or above the guideline range. Rates are computed only over records with a guideline range on file.
This page groups records by the exact code section as recorded, including subsection variants. A purchased report analyzes at the base-section level, so its cohort scope can differ slightly from this page.
How long were the sentences
Median effective sentence
3 mo
Middle 50% (IQR)
0 mo – 1.0 yr
Plea rate
52.8%
Effective sentence = active time to serve, reconstructed (a fully-suspended sentence counts as 0 months). Half of records fall inside the IQR range. Plea rate = share of records with a plea agreement.
What this page does not tell you
It does not tell you why a sentence fell above or below the range: plea posture, offense specifics and criminal history all move it, and none are in the aggregate record.
How the 20th Judicial Circuit compares with the rest of Virginia
In the 20th Judicial Circuit, 16.5% of Va. Code § 18.2-250 sentences exceeded the guideline range. That ranks 2nd of 29 Virginia circuits reporting at least 10 records for Va. Code § 18.2-250. Across those circuits the above-guideline rate runs 0% to 25%, median 4.1%. Within-Virginia variation in the public record, not a comparison of judicial practices or a prediction.
Bar width = above-guideline rate (0–100 %) · 29 circuits with ≥ 10 records · 2019–2024
Within-Virginia variation in the public record — not a comparison of judicial practices or a prediction about any individual case.
The full report goes deeper
Statute text as of the offense date, version-aware sourcing, and the full guideline compliance breakdown — one report, verified against primary sources.
Get the full report →One-time purchase · price shown by charge severity before payment — never a surprise.
The statute
Read the current text of Va. Code § 18.2-250 at law.lis.virginia.gov. Statutes are amended; check the version in effect on the offense date. Va. Code § 18.2-250 at law.lis.virginia.gov →
Counties & cities in the 20th Judicial Circuit
Same section, other Virginia circuits
Other code sections in the 20th Judicial Circuit
CaseParity · Virginia · 20th Judicial Circuit · Va. Code § 18.2-250
16.5%above guideline range
142 Virginia sentencing records (2019–2024) for Va. Code § 18.2-250 in the 20th Judicial Circuit. One point in the documented range across 29 qualifying circuits. Within-Virginia comparison only.
Source: Virginia Criminal Sentencing Commission · guideline range per Va. Code § 19.2-298.01 · documented outcomes, not a prediction
Shared posts carry their source and a note that CaseParity publishes public records — not legal advice.
Past sentencing patterns do not predict future outcomes in any individual case. CaseParity does not recommend litigation strategy, plea decisions, sentencing positions, or appellate arguments. Sentencing outcomes reflect many factors not captured in structured public records.
CaseParity is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. Statistics are computed from anonymized public sentencing records and describe historical patterns only. They do not predict outcomes in any individual case. Source: Virginia Criminal Sentencing Commission. Guideline range per Va. Code § 19.2-298.01. Primary offenses only.