The steps in the Virginia Juvenile Justice System are shown in the Juvenile Justice System Flowchart.
A case involving a juvenile 14 years of age or older accused of a felony may be certified or transferred to circuit court where the juvenile would be tried as an adult under one of the following circumstances:
Juveniles whose cases are transferred to circuit court are tried in the same manner as adults, but juveniles may not be sentenced by a jury. A conviction of a juvenile as an adult precludes the J&DR district court from taking jurisdiction of such juvenile for any subsequent offenses committed by that juvenile and any pending allegations of delinquency that had not been disposed of by the J&DR district court at the time of the criminal conviction. If a juvenile is not convicted in circuit court, jurisdiction over that juvenile for any future alleged delinquent behavior is returned to the J&DR district court.
Circuit court judges may sentence juveniles transferred or certified to their courts to juvenile or adult sentences, including adult prison time, jail time, or both. When a juvenile receives a blended sentence, the court orders the juvenile to serve the beginning of his or her sentence with DJJ and a later portion in an adult correctional facility.