Habeas corpus as means
Va. Code Ann. § 37.2-844
in effectA. Any person held in custody because of his mental illness may by petition for a writ of habeas corpus have the question of the legality of his detention determined by a court of competent jurisdiction. Upon the petition, after notice to the authorities of the facility or other institution in which the person is confined, the court shall determine in a courtroom of the county or city or in some other convenient public place in that county or city, whether the person has a mental illness and whether he should be detained.
B. Any proceeding to challenge the continued secure inpatient treatment of a person held in custody as a sexually violent predator under Chapter 9 (§ 37.2-900 et seq.) of this title shall be conducted in accordance with § 37.2-910 .
Code 1950, §§ 37-122, 37-123; 1950, p. 916; 1968, c. 477, § 37.1-103; 1976, c. 671; 2003, cc. 989 , 1018 ; 2005, c. 716 .
Source: Open US Law by Vaquill AI (CC BY 4.0)URL: https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/37.2-844/Fetched: 10/16/2026