Fairfax County Adult Detention Center

To the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center, 10520 Judicial Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030. The number is 703-246-2100.

In the same complex, 10520 Judicial Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030; call 703-246-2178. The office is staffed for arrests at all hours.

Release is the norm in Virginia. A Fairfax magistrate can hold someone only on probable cause that they would skip court or be truly dangerous (Va. Code § 19.2-120). The amount must be reasonable and must take the person’s money into account (Va. Code § 19.2-121).

Yes. The county’s pretrial office supervises people a judge or magistrate releases to it, with check-ins, drug tests or GPS as ordered (Va. Code § 19.2-123; Va. Code § 19.2-152.4:3).

Use the Fairfax County inmate search. Booking can take several hours.

The Fairfax County General District Court, 4110 Chain Bridge Road, Suite 210, Fairfax, VA 22030, 703-246-3764, sees a held person on its next sitting day (Va. Code § 19.2-158). Felonies go to the Circuit Court, 4110 Chain Bridge Road, Fairfax, VA 22030, 703-691-7320. Juvenile and family cases go to the county JDR court.

Usually within a few hours. Officers have to bring the person to a magistrate without unreasonable delay (Va. Code § 19.2-80), and the Fairfax magistrates work inside the same Judicial Drive complex as the jail, so there is no drive across the county. Booking, prints and a records check take most of the wait.

There are three. A recognizance is a signed promise to come back. An unsecured bond lists a dollar figure you owe only if a court date is missed. A secured bond needs real money up front, a property pledge, or a licensed bondsman behind it (Va. Code § 19.2-123).

Yes. The magistrate's office at 10520 Judicial Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030 is open around the clock (Va. Code § 19.2-48.1), and cash bonds are taken at the Adult Detention Center next door. Phone 703-246-2100 first so you show up with the right amount and a photo ID.

A bondsman posts the full bond for you and charges a fee of 10% to 15% (Va. Code § 9.1-185.8). Every one must hold a license from the state Department of Criminal Justice Services (Va. Code § 9.1-185). That fee is the bondsman's pay, so you won't see it again even if the charges are dropped. Read the contract before you sign.

It can (Va. Code § 19.2-123). The magistrate looks at your equity, meaning value minus what you still owe the bank, and that number has to reach the bond. Bring the deed or the latest county tax assessment. If two people own the house, plan on both signing.

On the next day the General District Court is open (Va. Code § 19.2-158). Most of those hearings run by video from the Adult Detention Center to the courthouse on Chain Bridge Road. The judge looks at bail again and makes sure the person knows the charge and can get a lawyer (Va. Code § 19.2-159).

Arraignment is when a defendant formally hears the charge and answers it. Misdemeanor arraignments happen in General District Court. A felony is arraigned upstairs in Circuit Court, but only after a grand jury returns an indictment.

Yes. A lawyer can file a motion asking the judge for a new bond (Va. Code § 19.2-158). When the person is still in jail, the court should hear it within three business days. It helps to bring something new, like a letter from an employer or a lease showing a stable address.

If General District Court denies bail or sets terms you think are unfair, you can appeal to the Fairfax Circuit Court (Va. Code § 19.2-124). The Circuit clerk is at 4110 Chain Bridge Road, Fairfax, VA 22030, 703-691-7320. A Circuit ruling can then go on to the Court of Appeals of Virginia.

In the General District Court at 4110 Chain Bridge Road, Suite 210, Fairfax, VA 22030. A judge hears the case with no jury. Someone convicted there has 10 days to appeal and gets a completely new trial in Circuit Court (Va. Code § 16.1-132).

It begins with a preliminary hearing in General District Court, where a judge decides if there is enough evidence to go forward (Va. Code § 19.2-218). If so, the case is certified to a grand jury. Trial, with or without a jury, takes place in Circuit Court in the same Chain Bridge Road building.

Juvenile and Domestic Relations court takes charges against people under 18 and crimes between family or household members (Va. Code § 16.1-241). It sits in the same courthouse at 4110 Chain Bridge Road, Fairfax, VA 22030; call 703-246-3367. Bond in those cases often comes with a stay-away rule.

Ask at the first court date. If jail is a possible sentence and the defendant cannot afford a lawyer, the judge reviews a sworn statement of income and bills and can appoint the public defender or a private attorney (Va. Code § 19.2-159).

Expect a warrant, and the bond can be forfeited. Missing court is also a crime of its own: a Class 6 felony when the case was a felony and a Class 1 misdemeanor when it was a misdemeanor (Va. Code § 19.2-128). Call the district clerk at 703-246-3764 quickly; acting fast can matter.

Often. The magistrate can order no calls, texts or visits with the alleged victim as a bond condition (Va. Code § 19.2-123). In family cases an emergency protective order is common, lasting about three days (Va. Code § 16.1-253.4). Breaking either one can mean a new arrest.

That is called a detainer or hold. A Fairfax judge decides if bail is possible on the out-of-state warrant (Va. Code § 19.2-102). Even after the local bond is paid, the hold can keep the person in the Adult Detention Center until the other state acts (Va. Code § 19.2-85).

A federal charge belongs to the Eastern District of Virginia, whose nearest courthouse is in Alexandria, a short trip down I-495. A federal magistrate judge decides release under its own law (18 U.S.C. § 3142). Bail bondsmen are not part of that system.

The Adult Detention Center sets its own visiting schedule and account rules. Call 703-246-2100 for current hours and the approved way to add money. Do not mail cash.

Most people stay at the Adult Detention Center while the case is open. After a prison sentence, the state Department of Corrections can transfer them. Use the inmate search to check where someone is now.

Plan on an hour or longer. Staff check for other warrants before anyone walks out. The paperwork handed over at the door lists the next court date and any conditions, so keep it somewhere safe.

You promise the court the defendant will show up (Va. Code § 19.2-123). If they don't, you can be on the hook for the whole bond (Va. Code § 19.2-143). If you start to worry they will run, the law lets you surrender them back to custody (Va. Code § 19.2-149).

When the case ends and every date was kept, the cash comes back to whoever posted it, though the court may first take out fines and costs. Ask the clerk's office how long the refund takes.

A lawyer can ask the judge to relax a curfew, end GPS monitoring or allow work travel (Va. Code § 19.2-158). The current terms stay in force until a judge signs a new order, so don't stop following them early.

Jail: 703-246-2100. Magistrate: 703-246-2178. District court: 703-246-3764. Circuit Court clerk: 703-691-7320.

Fairfax County is the largest county in Virginia by population, and nearly all of its criminal courts work out of one building, the Jennings Judicial Center on Chain Bridge Road. That complex sits beside the independent City of Fairfax, the county seat. This page now covers both: it traces a case from arrest to trial for county and city alike, because the City of Fairfax, though independent, depends on these same courts for everything above its own district court. The county forms Virginia's 19th Judicial Circuit.

• Fairfax Circuit Court and circuit clerk, 4110 Chain Bridge Road, Fairfax, VA 22030, (703) 691-7320; criminal division, Suite 409, (703) 246-2228
• Fairfax County General District Court, Suite 210, 4110 Chain Bridge Road: criminal (703) 246-3305, traffic (703) 246-2815, case information (703) 246-3764
• Fairfax County Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court, Room 302, 4110 Chain Bridge Road, (703) 246-3367
• Magistrate, open 24 hours at 10520 Judicial Drive, (703) 246-2178; Mount Vernon office, 2511 Parkers Lane, (703) 360-8400
• Court Service Unit (juvenile intake), (703) 246-3343; 24-hour intake (703) 246-2495
• Commonwealth's Attorney, Suite 123, 4110 Chain Bridge Road, (703) 246-2776
• Fairfax Public Defender, 4103 Chain Bridge Road, Suite 500, (703) 934-5600
• Sheriff's Office, (703) 246-3227
• Fairfax County Adult Detention Center, 10520 Judicial Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030, (703) 246-2100
• Court Services pretrial evaluation and supervised release, Room 203, (703) 246-7530
• Fairfax City General District Court, City Hall, 10455 Armstrong Street, Fairfax, VA 22030, (703) 385-7866
• City of Fairfax Police, 3730 Blenheim Boulevard, (703) 385-7924
• Fairfax County Police, 12099 Government Center Parkway, non-emergency (703) 691-2131; Herndon Police (703) 435-6846; Vienna Police (703) 255-6390

Which court hears your case. Adult misdemeanors and traffic charges from Reston, Annandale, McLean, Springfield, Centreville, Lorton and the rest of the county are tried by a single judge, no jurors, in the Fairfax County General District Court; Herndon and Vienna town cases are heard in courtrooms the court keeps inside those towns, with files held at Chain Bridge Road. Ten days is the window to appeal a conviction upstairs, where circuit judges retry it and jurors may be requested. Juvenile charges and household offenses go to the JDR court. Felonies get a preliminary hearing in district court and, after indictment, a circuit court trial.

Where pretrial inmates are held. The county operates its own jail instead of joining a regional authority. The sheriff runs the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center on the courthouse campus, plus a pre-release center for work-release participants. County, town, city and State Police arrests are booked there, and the 24-hour magistrate sits inside. Ask about custody or a bond at (703) 246-2100.

Because Virginia gives towns no courts of their own, even a Herndon, Vienna or Clifton ticket goes to a state court. Clifton has no police force and relies on county officers.

• General district clerks, Suite 210, staff the counter 8 to 4 on weekdays; phones close at 3:30. Criminal (703) 246-3305, traffic (703) 246-2815.
• JDR clerk, Room 302, (703) 246-3367.
• Circuit clerk, (703) 691-7320, whose office is the records keeper for felonies, juries and appeals countywide and in the city.
• Court Services, (703) 246-7530, prepares pretrial reports and supervises people released under conditions.

The City of Fairfax is a separate locality, so an arrest by city police starts somewhere else: the Fairfax City General District Court at City Hall, 10455 Armstrong Street, (703) 385-7866. That court takes city traffic, misdemeanors and felony preliminary hearings.

After that first stage the two jurisdictions share. City juvenile and family matters, indicted felonies and appeals from City Hall are heard at 4110 Chain Bridge Road in the same JDR and circuit courts described here. City arrestees are booked into the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center under the one sheriff serving both, and one elected prosecutor handles felonies from either side of the line.

Indigent defendants from either the county or the city get lawyers from the state-funded Fairfax Public Defender on Chain Bridge Road, (703) 934-5600. A judge screens finances at the first appearance, often by video from Judicial Drive, before making the appointment.

Whenever that office has a conflict, such as codefendants with opposing interests, the court picks a private attorney from its certified list and the state pays a capped fee. Defendants who earn too much hire their own counsel; the Fairfax Bar Association runs a referral service.

One elected Commonwealth's Attorney, (703) 246-2776, prosecutes felonies for the county and the city. Because the office focuses on serious crime, a minor traffic or misdemeanor case is sometimes presented by the arresting officer, especially at City Hall.

First-time drug possession can be deferred under Virginia law: the defendant completes probation, testing and education, and the charge is dismissed. Prosecutors also agree to deferred dispositions for some first-offense shoplifting and minor property cases, usually conditioned on restitution, community service or classes.

Fairfax Circuit Court operates a drug treatment court for people with substance-use disorders who face nonviolent felonies; participants appear before the judge often, undergo testing and treatment, and can earn a reduced or dismissed charge.

The general district court hosts a veterans treatment docket and a mental health docket that link defendants to services with Court Services supervision. Defense counsel or the prosecutor can ask about eligibility; a victim's views and the person's record weigh on admission.

A county magistrate can release someone on recognizance, on an unsecured promise to pay, against a secured bond, or into the Supervised Release Program run by Court Services. A district judge may change the terms at arraignment.

Class 1 offenses such as theft under $1,000 and assault and battery cap out at twelve months and $2,500. In Fairfax a first DUI conviction requires at least $250 and a twelve-month suspension, with a restricted license possible through an ignition interlock and ASAP enrollment. Many first offenders are offered diversion by the prosecutor.

The magistrate decides between release, a bond and detention based on danger and flight. A preliminary hearing in Suite 210 tests probable cause, then a county grand jury may indict and the case moves to Fairfax Circuit Court, where specialty dockets for drug treatment, veterans and mental health may be available.

Theft from $1,000 upward is grand larceny with a twenty-year limit, and selling drugs can bring forty years. A jailed defendant has a five-month trial deadline after probable cause, nine if released. Sentences longer than a year go to state prison.

County police major-crimes detectives handle homicide and sexual assault outside the towns and city. Few such defendants are released by a magistrate, so they wait at the Judicial Drive jail for a judge's bond hearing.

Aggravated murder now carries life. Robbery and rape begin at five years. The public defender at Chain Bridge Road, (703) 934-5600, or appointed counsel represents qualifying defendants.

Court Service Unit intake, (703) 246-2495, decides whether a complaint is diverted, petitioned or sent to detention. Detained youth go to the Fairfax County Juvenile Detention Center, and the JDR court reviews detention within three days.

Outcomes favor probation, counseling and restitution; commitment to state juvenile justice is reserved for serious cases, and some older teens can be tried in circuit court.

Fairfax lies in the Eastern District of Virginia, whose Alexandria courthouse receives its federal prosecutions.

• Federal clerk, (703) 299-2107
• U.S. Attorney, (703) 299-3700

An Alexandria magistrate judge decides federal detention, and that court has a reputation for speed. Look up federal inmates on the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator.