The Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney is committed to fair and ethical prosecution practices. Discovery is the process by which the Commonwealth provides police reports and other evidence to a criminal defendant’s attorney so that both parties can prepare for trial. The Rules of the Supreme Court of Virginia and relevant case law provide a minimum standard for the discovery that must be provided; the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney routinely exceeds this standard to give all parties equal access. 

Each individual prosecutor retains discretion regarding the provision of discovery in each case. However, the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney generally provides open file discovery, provided that a protective order is entered that prohibits the further dissemination of certain sensitive items provided in discovery.

After a case is set for trial, a paralegal will reach out to defense counsel to discuss the protective order and discovery process. To expedite the receipt of discovery, defense counsel may proactively send a completed and signed discovery protective order to the applicable email address below:

JDR Juvenile cases: JDRJuvenileDiscovery@alexandriava.gov 

JDR Adult cases: JDRAdultDiscovery@alexandriava.gov (felony order template, misdemeanor order template)

GDC Criminal misdemeanor cases: GDCCriminalDiscovery@alexandriava.gov (order template)

GDC felony cases: GDCFelonyDiscovery@alexandriava.gov (order template)

GDC Traffic misdemeanor cases: GDCTrafficDiscovery@alexandriava.gov (order template)

Circuit Court felony cases: Contact the assigned prosecutor