Court Services Criminal Division
Telephone 703-691-7320 (press 3, then 2)

The Court Services Criminal Division of the Fairfax County Circuit Court is located on the fourth floor of the Jennings Building in the Judicial Center, 4110 Chain Bridge Road in Fairfax. The Division is open between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Cases Handled by the Criminal Division:
The Court Services Criminal Division is responsible for the indexing, processing and maintaining of all Felony and Misdemeanor Criminal and Traffic Appeal cases. In all of these cases, the Commonwealth of Virginia is the Complainant. The person charged with the offense is the Defendant.

Felony cases may include (but are not limited to):

Misdemeanor Criminal Appeals may include (but are not limited to):

Petty Larceny
Shoplifting
Prostitution

Misdemeanor Traffic Appeals may include (but are not limited to):

Speeding
Driving while Intoxicated
Reckless Driving
Fail to Yield Right of Way

These cases originate in the General District Court and the Juvenile Domestic Relations Court and are brought to Circuit Court by way of the Grand Jury (for Felony Cases) and by Appeal of the Defendant (for Misdemeanor cases). It is the Court Services Criminal Divisions responsibility to index these cases on the computer and to maintain the files in their office.

Costs in Felony and Misdemeanor Cases:
If convicted of a Felony or Misdemeanor Offense in the Circuit Court of Fairfax County, costs will be assessed against the defendant as well as any court imposed fine. All costs are assessed pursuant to the Code of Virginia. Fines and/or costs are expected to be paid at the time of conviction unless a payment plan is established. The Criminal Division does accept personal checks, Visa and MasterCard, as well as cash (See requirements for acceptance of payments). All costs and or fines that are not promptly paid will be subject to:

Felony Cases:

1. A judgment will be entered against the defendant and interest will accrue on the balance due.
2. Unpaid balances are reported to the Department of Taxation for Set-off Debt collection (this involves any tax refund due to the defendant being sent to the Clerks office to pay off the debt)
3. Unpaid balances are reported to the State Department of Taxation's Court Debt Collection Program for collection.
4. Notification is sent to the Division of Motor Vehicles of any unpaid fines and/or costs for suspension of the defendants operators license.

Misdemeanor Cases:

1. Unpaid balances are reported to the Department of Taxation for Set-off Debt Collection (this involves any tax refund due to the defendant being sent to the Clerks office to pay off the debt)
2. Unpaid balances are reported to the Department of Taxation for Set-off Debt Collection (this involves any tax refund due to the defendant being sent to the Clerks office to pay off the debt)
   
3. Unpaid balances are reported to the State Department of Taxation's Court Debt Collection Program for collection.
4. Notification is sent to the Division of Motor Vehicles of any unpaid fines and/or costs for suspension of the defendant's operators license.

Requests for Subpoenas:
Any request for subpoena's in a Felony of Misdemeanor Appeal should be delivered to the Criminal Division. The is no cost for a witness subpoena (See sample of request form). If you are requesting a subpoena duces tecum, the fee is $5.00 and should be paid at the time of filing the request (See requirements for issuance of a subpoena duces tecum).

Requests for Copies:
Copies of filings or orders in a Felony or Misdemeanor Appeal case may be requested in person or in writing. Certain items contained in the file may not be copied. You will be informed of those items that cannot be copied. When requesting copies in person, you may review the file in the Criminal Division and paperclip any pages that you want to have copied. The fee is .50 cents per page, $2.00 if you want the copy certified. The Criminal Division can copy up to 10 pages immediately. Any requests over 10 pages will require you returning on the next business day (or longer if an extraordinary amount of copies is requested).

Requests received in writing will be responded to within 2 business days. Fee's for copying must be paid in advance and a self address stamped envelope must be included.

Processing Orders:
Upon entry of a order by a Circuit Court Judge, the Felony or Misdemeanor Appeal file is sent to the Criminal Division to process the order. Processing the order includes sending copies of the order to the appropriate agency and or party. Also, all felony cases and some misdemeanor appeals have fingerprint cards that must be processed to the FBI and the State Police department so a criminal record will be created or updated. The Criminal Division is responsible for completing these forms and forwarding them to those agencies.

(8/99 - KINFO)