The Corrections Crisis

Rich Meagher:

Hey everyone, it’s rich here. Before we start the show, I wanted to tell you that in upcoming episodes we’ll be talking with Mayor Danny Avula, and at least one member of the Richmond City Council. If you have questions for them, you can record a voice memo and email it to [email protected]. Or call our listener voicemail line at 8 0 4 5 4 0 8 1 0 8. Thanks. Now on with the show,

Welcome to RVAs Got Issues, the show that brings you the people and ideas that are reshaping Greater Richmond. I’m your host Rich Meagher. There’s a corrections crisis in Virginia. Jails in the city of Richmond and Chesterfield County, as well as some state prisons are facing claims of unsafe conditions for both staff and the incarcerated, and prisoners especially are fighting back. Today we’ll hear from Richmond based reporters who have been covering the corrections crisis to find out whether our prisons and jails are still up to the job. First up, VPM News recently published a four part series about a state youth prison located right in our backyard, the Bonair Juvenile Correctional Center just off of Midlothian Turnpike in Chesterfield. We’re joined right now by the author of that series, VPM Reporter, Keyris Manzanares. Welcome Keyris.

Keyris Manzanares:

Thank you, rich. I’m happy to be here.

Rich Meagher:

So, Keyris, you’ve looked into this Bon Air facility. This is the state’s only prison for youth about, I think 160 young people incarcerated there. Now you’re not a crime reporter, you’re not on the prison beat usually. How did, how did this come across your desk here?

Keyris Manzanares:

You know, I had first reported on this back in 2021, and really it came across because I was driving to my job here at VPM News and I actually passed the facility and I was really just curious to how it worked. And so fast forward earlier this year, there was a fire that broke out on Super Bowl to me that signaled a deeper problem. And so I asked questions like, is this a result of a staffing shortage? I was told no. And so I just kind of kept digging into what was going on.

Rich Meagher:

So what happened at this Bon Air facility on Super Bowl Sunday?

Keyris Manzanares:

So on February 9th, and this is all according to a 9 1 1 transcript, 11 boys broke out of their cells and kind of took control of the unit that they were in. Hmm. And they, you know, were yelling, screaming, and they started a fire

News Archival:

Breaking news tonight. After inmates at the Bon Air Juvenile Correction Center attempted to take over the building, they tell us Chesterfield County fire quickly extinguished that fire and the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice now confirming 11 boys became unruly and non-compliant, which prompted staff to summon additional help.

Keyris Manzanares:

And so that led Chesterfield fire to respond, police to respond. Virginia State Police and the one guard that was in that unit barricaded themselves. And so that’s really what started at all.

Rich Meagher:

Right. And you, you found out this wasn’t an isolated incident. This wasn’t the only time that fires were set at the facility. It’s not the only time that the fire department had been called there. Like what, what else was going on during this period of time?

Keyris Manzanares:

Yes. So Chesterfield fire actually in the last year had responded to the facility more than 45 times.

Rich Meagher:

Yeah.

Keyris Manzanares:

Chesterfield police as well. So, you know, they had been diverting Chesterfield services to this facility a lot.

Rich Meagher:

Now you actually, uh, detail the story of one boy who is writing letters to his family and these letters later surfaced in your, your reporting. Can you take us through what this boy was describing? Like what was the life of this boy at the facility like?

Keyris Manzanares:

So he actually describes that day, right? February 9th. One of the lines is like, we’re treated like caged animals and there’s no rehabilitation. And that line really struck me because that is the mission of the department and why it’s placed separate from the Department of Corrections and DOC is that it’s meant to be rehabilitative. It’s meant to have programming like education and vocational programming. And you know, eventually the hope is these children will, will be released. Right. And they will reintegrate. But if that’s not happening, then how can Virginians be confident that they will reintegrate in a way that’s healthy?

Rich Meagher:

Yeah. And, and this, uh, this one boy story through the letters she was writing was, uh, corroborated in you talking to his mother. And she said pretty much the same thing, right? This is what her son was experienced and it wasn’t she linking up with other parents too.

Keyris Manzanares:

She was, um, and not only that, but you know, having only one state correctional facility means that a lot of parents are having to travel to Chesterfield County. And often what she was claiming is she’s traveling from about two hours away to the facility only to be told visitation was canceled. Hmm. Right. And so when a child is committed to the department of, you know, DJJ, they’re told family is, is very important to this process of rehabilitation. And, you know, they want parents to be involved. And, and so if that’s also not happening, then how can they ensure that the family bond really, you know, sticks.

Rich Meagher:

So let’s get into a little bit of these problems that are occurring. Um, what did your reporting tell you about why kids are being left alone? You said you asked about staffing. Um, that had to be a part of it. Right.

Keyris Manzanares:

What I pieced together was the staffing levels really affect everything because Bon Air Correctional Facility is pretty huge. If you look it up on Google Maps and you do kind of the view where you can see what the campus looks like. Yeah. You know, it was built in the 18 hundreds and it was at the time kind of like a reformatory school for girls. I interviewed someone that said that how it should work is that it should be like a lively campus. Like people should be able to move around and go from like, almost like program to program or like class to class,

Rich Meagher:

Almost like a college or a High high school, right?

Keyris Manzanares:

Yeah. Like it should have that feel right. But when you don’t have enough staff, you know, it means you’re in your cell longer. And so in 2024 there was a report, it was a external investigation, a third party audit that really highlighted that they were spending more time in their cells, that they were bored, that they were at risk of increased violence because of the critically low staffing levels. And so all of that really kind of plays upon each other because you need to have enough staff to allow the kids to move around and be engaged and be, you know, entertain through the programming so that they can have that rehabilitative experience.

Rich Meagher:

And so Bon Air is run by the state agency, the Department of Juvenile Justice, the DJJ. How are they responding to these stories, to these complaints? They’re getting the letters from family members or the inquiries from family members?

Keyris Manzanares:

Well, they’re not saying much. A lot of it is due to privacy. And, you know, when there’s allegations of, you know, this kid is claiming he was in his cell for, for this long, or that he was on lockdown for this long, you know, they say that, that they can’t answer to that because they would need to know exactly who it is that’s saying that so that they can investigate or they can check the cameras and make sure you know that that kid was in fact in their cell for that long. It made me want to know who is responsible for oversight. Mm. And who should be looking into the facility.

Rich Meagher:

And this is where state legislators get involved, is that Right?

Keyris Manzanares:

Yes. This is where the commission on Youth enters the scene.

State Meeting Archival:

The purpose of today’s meeting is to address concerns and to give the Department of Juvenile Justice an opportunity to respond to questions posed in Senator Volla and Delegate Coyer letter.

Keyris Manzanares:

So the Commission on Youth is this bipartisan legislative commission. They kind of oversee youth issues in Virginia. And so what they did was they sent a letter to director Amy Floriano.

Senator Barbara Favola:

Ms. Floreano is the, uh, director of the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice and there is a presentation, uh, before us, uh, the Bon Air Correctional Center.

Keyris Manzanares:

And she’s there to give a Presentation and really touch upon safety and staffing levels at the facility.

Amy Floriano:

Madam Chair, members of the commission, I first wanna thank you for allowing me the opportunity to come in and giving me the time to present the department’s concerns.

Rich Meagher:

So, so what did, uh, Amy Floriano, the DJ J Head, how was her approach to this meeting? How did she come into the meeting? What was she bringing to it?

Keyris Manzanares:

So in the original letter, they had kind of laid out like, here are all the things we want you to touch on. And one of them was an overview.

Amy Floriano:

One of the focuses of why I am here and in this position is because DJ JJ fundamentally serves a purpose for the youth in the system. And that purpose is rehabilitative in nature.

Keyris Manzanares:

And so the presentation was 130 pages long. I don’t think lawmakers were expecting that type of presentation. And, you know, the staffing levels didn’t come until like slide 89 and she had to skip through some slides in order to even get to what lawmakers were looking for.

Rich Meagher:

What are some of the things that she did tell them besides just the org chart about how DJJ works?

Keyris Manzanares:

You know, she did address like that. They were at critically low staffing.

Amy Floriano:

90% of juvenile correctional facilities are indicating that they’re at critical staffing. You don’t work for $44,000 a year in a facility where you can be assaulted routinely and not have tools to be able to respond to that assault unless you genuinely want to impact the children.

Keyris Manzanares:

She also made two very specific requests at the beginning. She asked for staffing support when it relates to Bon Air. She said that they had exhausted all options within their control, and she also asked for long-term planning for the future of the state’s youth correctional facility. She basically said that when they downsized, when they went from having two facilities to just one that, you know, that created tension and conflict, reducing it to just one facility. And that, you know, they wanted improved locations for better rehabilitation.

Amy Floriano:

And so closing down all the facilities and limiting us to one facility has trapped us into this environment where, what, what are we going to do? I I have what 60% of my population is in there for, uh, the 18 and over and I’ve got 14 year olds and females in there that are for different offenses.

Rich Meagher:

So how did the legislators respond to this presentation?

Keyris Manzanares:

I remember one word and it was really heated.

Delegate Cole:

Thank you for, uh, giving this wonderful overview of the department. But I think one, I’m a little heated and I’m a little upset that we’ve spent all this time doing an overview of the department when there are rumors. And we are coming here today to figure out what’s going on at Bon Air

Keyris Manzanares:

And then delegate Carrie Coyner from Chesterfield. She was virtual that day, and so she touched her button to speak.

Delegate Carrie Coyner:

I am frustrated that until delegates and senators started interacting with this presentation, and we spent 32 of your 42 minutes talking about things that have nothing to do with the safety and wellbeing of everyone who’s at Bon Air.

Rich Meagher:

Who, who is delegate Carrie Coyner and, and what’s her connection to this issue?

Keyris Manzanares:

So delegate Carrie Coyner represents Chesterfield and in Chesterfield is where this facility is located. And so Chesterfield police are having to respond to the facility. Chesterfield fire, as you read in the story, has been there 45 times. But not only that, right? Delegate Coyer said that she met with people that had been at Bon Air and who basically confirmed to her that all of these things, all of these problems were in fact happening.

Delegate Carrie Coyner:

So when you say there have only been 10 lockdowns, fine, but we know the truth is probably if we all got to sit and watch the videos in your facility for months on end, that kids were probably very limited by their ability to move around.

Keyris Manzanares:

And so it’s one of those things where these delegates are expecting answers and they are not getting what they thought they were gonna get in this meeting.

Delegate Carrie Coyner:

The reality is things are not going well at Bonnie Air. You know, I look at the photos in your presentation and flight people’s social media accounts, they show you what you wanna see. That’s not all of life. After listening to my leadership, adult Leadership Sheriff’s office, my fire chief, my county leaders, after going and speaking with therapists who’ve interacted with them, I do think that an independent investigation needs to be done.

Rich Meagher:

The legislators are wondering why was DJ J head Floriano so opposed to an independent investigation? Did did you get a sense of what her answer to that was?

Keyris Manzanares:

Virginia Code?

Amy Floriano:

I am prevented by 16.1 300 from discussing the specific details of a use case. So even if we do an investigative study, who’s going to do that? That can have access to this information? I’m charged with protecting the kids that are in my custody.

Rich Meagher:

So what do they do? What does the commission do in response to this presentation?

Keyris Manzanares:

They vote to Write a letter to Governor Youngin.

Senator Barbara Favola:

I would like a motion, uh, directing the chair to send a letter to the governor

Keyris Manzanares:

calling for an independent investigation into the Department of Juvenile Justice

Senator Barbara Favola:

so we can actually make the necessary changes. So Bon Air becomes a model program

Keyris Manzanares:

and you know, The entire meeting was centered around the Department of Juvenile Justice and how it can work. We received a presentation on how Utah has transformed their juvenile justice system. We got a presentation from a professor at the University of Richmond who introduced the idea of what an ideal system can look like. So lawmakers heard that there are possible solutions to fixing these problems if the state invests. And also there’s increased oversight.

Senator Barbara Favola:

We are very much trying to help you do the job that I think you want to do <laugh> and help you really provide a quality rehabilitative program for the youth that are in your charge. Um, I know you have a tough job. I think you’re probably trying to do the best with what you have, but we need to know what can help you do a better job. And that this is all in the context of we have to row this boat together

Rich Meagher:

And so the committee calls for this independent investigation. Is that gonna get us where we need to go? Is that gonna solve these problems?

Keyris Manzanares:

So now that the committee has called for that independent review, it really is up to the governor to decide whether that moves forward or not because you know, this is an appointed role and ultimately he has that say right to call for that review. Senator Favola’s office told me that they haven’t heard a response from the governor in terms of the letter that they sent calling for that review. Um, when I reached out to the governor’s office, they said that they were deeply appreciative of Director Floriana’s efforts.

Rich Meagher:

So what would the alternative be here? Right? We seem to have this system that isn’t working very well for the youth. What, what should we do differently?

Keyris Manzanares:

Experts and advocates are calling for a redesign of this system. So smaller facilities located closer to home that are more community based and that are more community centralized. So not, not just closer to home and placed in rural areas far from communities, but actually placed within communities where program can be accessed and, you know, parents can, can visit their kids. And there is that, you know, increased rehabilitation and entry in and out from those community partners. When it comes to the staffing, I think that, you know, experts are saying that’s recruitment, that’s retention, that’s increasing safety. So there are multiple little layers to to all of it.

Rich Meagher:

And based on all that you’ve reported and seen, then what do you think is gonna happen next here?

Keyris Manzanares:

I think what’s gonna happen next is I’m gonna keep a very close eye on the governor’s race and when we are having all of these debates and finally getting to the final three, the final two, this is a question to ask, what do you plan to do about this facility? What is the future of this facility? Who do you plan to appoint? Right? Because there are minors involved and these are essentially youth that Virginians are eventually going to be living amongst. And so it’s one of those things where it’s just, it’s just gonna require oversight. Right? And that’s part of a journalist’s job. It is. You’re that kind of that watchdog.

Rich Meagher:

Yeah.

Keyris Manzanares:

And so it’s almost continuing to work on this in the background.

Rich Meagher:

Keyris Manzanares is an award-winning multimedia journalist for VPM. Thanks so much Keyris coming up. It’s not just youth who are protesting their incarceration conditions or setting fires. More on the corrections crisis in Virginia when we come back on RVAs Got issues. We’re joined now by Charlotte. Rene Woods, a reporter for the Virginia Mercury. Welcome to Charlotte.

Charlotte Rene Woods:

Nice to be here. Thank you for having me.

Rich Meagher:

So Charlotte, you’ve reported on what’s happening in Red Onion Prison. Now this is a state prison, it’s all the way out in Western Virginia, like Wise County, but state officials from here in Richmond, right. Delegate Mike Jones visited there. Why is he going to red Onion prison?

Charlotte Rene Woods:

Yeah. Talking about fires being lit, quite literally last year a handful of residents of red onion had burned themselves some speculated as a form of protest, some speculated as just wanting to get transferred. And those things often overlap, at least with some of the people that I’ve been in touch with and other media outlets have been in touch with in recent months. And uh, last November, right before Thanksgiving, the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus put out a release saying that we’re keeping a watch on this

Rich Meagher:

Delegate. Mike Jones. What’s his connection to this prison out in the middle of Wise County

Charlotte Rene Woods:

To quote him at a protest rally earlier this year, he could have quote held a city council meeting with the amount of Richmond residents formerly that he encountered when he visited Red Onion. It is on the other side of the state, but obviously it is a supermax facility. So it gets a lot of people sentenced to be there from around the state and out of state for the people who are originally from Richmond or Hampton Roads. That’s the other side of the state. Yeah. So it’s harder to see your friends and family to have come visit you that morale boost. So no wonder anyone would wanna be transferred out if they could. But in recent months there have been allegations of mistreatment.

Rich Meagher:

Yeah,

Charlotte Rene Woods:

Religious discrimination, racial discrimination, prolonged use of what Virginia doesn’t technically call solitary confinement, but for all intents and purposes might as well be. Those have been some of the numerous allegations that ultimately led to a handful of residents of red onion burning themselves.

Rich Meagher:

And so what’s the term that the state uses for solitary confinement?

Charlotte Rene Woods:

Restorative housing, department of Corrections does not like it being called solitary confinement. Yeah. In my reporting I’ve been like, um, restrictive housing, restorative housing, solitary confinement. Like housing. Yeah. Just to paint a full picture of what it’s called and what it is.

Rich Meagher:

So you mentioned that you talked to someone who had been incarcerated at Red Onion. I’m not sure if this is the person that you reported on. Is this this man named Dante or was that,

Charlotte Rene Woods:

I’ve spoken with a few.

Rich Meagher:

Yeah.

Charlotte Rene Woods:

So yeah, Dontae Ebron reached out to me earlier this year. He had an altercation with a correctional officer last summer. He actually sent me a copy of the report. He’s alleging they didn’t give him the correct food. And sometimes that’s another complaint from a lot of inmates is like, you’re not respecting my dietary restrictions or my religious food choices.

Rich Meagher:

Mm.

Charlotte Rene Woods:

And there was an incident with a tray and then it led to him getting pinned to the ground and maced. And then the incident report says that he spit on an officer. He was saying I was spitting because I had Mac in my face. Yeah. I wasn’t trying to spit an officer. Yeah, he’s hoping that video footage can, you know, set the record straight on all the perspectives of what happened. But he sustained some injuries from that. There’s also Kevin Rashid Johnson, who routinely blog posts and does speak with press and he’s in touch with a lot of people. And I have spoken with Ekong Eshiet who was one of the men who burned himself and he has since been transferred out of state.

Rich Meagher:

So if you’ve spoken with him, what does this mean to burn yourself? Like what actually are they doing? These guys,

Charlotte Rene Woods:

The Department of Corrections described it as they tampered with electrical outlets to burn their skin, which requires medical treatment and definitely caught attention. Reporters are investigating, we’re looking into things, the state is gonna launch an investigation. Some people like Ekong Eshiet have been transferred.

Rich Meagher:

Yeah. And so what did all of the people you’ve talked to, what did it tell you about what’s actually happening at this Red Onion Prison?

Charlotte Rene Woods:

Again, as a reporter, I have to be careful to use the terms allegations alleged. An investigation can help solidify some of these, but when you’ve got this much anecdotal evidence, you really need to listen to the people who are living there and what they’re saying. Again, there have been cries for help essentially saying, you know, mistreatment, racism, discrimination, too much use of force, prolonged use of quote unquote restorative housing.

Rich Meagher:

Right.

Charlotte Rene Woods:

And Virginia actually did change its law around restorative housing in 2023 to require that people get at least four hours a day out of solitary confinement because for your mental health, if you’re sequestered like that for weeks or months at a time, it’s not gonna be good for you. And legislators have continued to try and tweak that law further. But youngin has vetoed it saying, well I already accepted that other change so I don’t think that I need to accept further tweaks. But delegate Mike Jones kicking it back locally to Richmond, he made his visits, he and delegate Holly Seibold, she went at a different time and both shared that they saw quite a few people that were in quote unquote restorative housing. And they have confirmed, or at least supported some allegations from inmates that the law that you’re supposed to get congregate time out of your cell isn’t really happening the way that it should. Holly Siebold described seeing people put in cage like structures but outside, but let’s be real. Are you really out of your cell? If that’s the situation. But Delegate Mike Jones is saying that next legislative session, he’s hoping to introduce a bill that would help keep people who are sentenced to prison closer to their, where they’re originally from. Because when you have your support system and your friends and family that can come see you, it can help plant the seeds for reducing recidivism once you’ve completed your sentence.

Rich Meagher:

And so why is this happening? Is it just that the Department of Corrections is just uninterested in following the law? Like where does this actually come from? This lack of following the rules here?

Charlotte Rene Woods:

Some of it you could surmise probably stems from staffing issues, which have already been reported by myself and multiple news outlets.

Rich Meagher:

Mm.

Charlotte Rene Woods:

There was an independent study done late last year that was reported to the General Assembly that did notes statewide, not just red onion, that there’s staffing and retention issues. And when you are short staffed like that, you’re gonna probably be more inclined to go into lockdowns or put more people into solitary just for management of human issues.

Rich Meagher:

And I just wanna be clear about this too. What’s the problem with solitary confinement or restorative housing? I mean, you talked to some advocates who kind of point out this, why should we care about, you know, alright, so they’re left their cell for a few hours a day. I like to be alone. What’s the problem here?

Charlotte Rene Woods:

You know, if you are sequestered from everyone and your only interaction with another human is when food is delivered to you through a slot in a door, you are not gonna be mentally very well after a long time of that because humans, we might appreciate our solitary times, but we are social creatures. And also when you’re placed in solitary confinement, you’re often losing access to the programming that prisons have that help you on your restoration path. If you’re studying to get your GED or going after a college degree or you’re taking some substance use treatment courses because maybe your addiction issues are what landed you in the criminal justice system in the first place. And so when you’re put into a solitary type of housing, you’re losing access from other people, but you’re also losing access to the programs and things that can help you help your own self.

Rich Meagher:

So what are people trying to do to fix this? There is this new position created as part of the Department of Corrections, the Ombudsman? Mm-hmm . What’s that all about?

Charlotte Rene Woods:

So the correction ombudsman, Andrea Sapone, she started like late last September. Um, by December she was speaking with the Corrections Oversight Committee and the House of Delegates public safety committee called a special meeting to focus on red onion. And she shared that she’s planning an investigation into Red Onion, specifically just that third party swooping in seeing what’s what. And whatever comes from that investigation and subsequent report can help point towards solutions. And you know, the Office of Inspector General, which that position falls under. It’s the branch of government that checks on other branches of government.

Rich Meagher:

Mm-hmm.

Charlotte Rene Woods:

And so some people I have spoken with are hopeful and excited that there’s an investigation happening. And then obviously some incarcerated people are like, I don’t trust it because it’s still working for the government. So we’ll see. Time will tell.

Rich Meagher:

And so you’ve talked to some advocates. What are they hoping is gonna come out of this investigation? What do they want to change about our correction system?

Charlotte Rene Woods:

It’s multifaceted. There are certain branches of advocates who would love to see red onion completely shut down and certain prisons just completely shut down altogether. Others just hope to see more accountability. Make sure that programming is accessible, rehabilitation is accessible. Prolonged use of lockdown or confinement is not happening. Just people focused on the health and safety and wellbeing of people who are either in custody of the state for the rest of their life, depending on their crime, or people who have a chance to finish their sentence and reenter society.

Rich Meagher:

Charlotte Rene Woods is a reporter for the Virginia Mercury. Thanks Charlotte.

Charlotte Rene Woods:

Thank you for having me and I was happy to share.

Rich Meagher:

That’s our show. Thanks to our guests, Keyris Manzanares and Charlotte Rene Woods. Find out more about our show and tell us about your issues at our website, rvasgotissues.vpm.org. Remember to tell your friends about us, share a social media post or leave a review on your favorite podcasting platform. R VA’s Got Issues is produced by Max Wasserman and Rachel Dwyer. Script editing by Donna Lack and Rachel Dwyer. Audio mix by Steve Lack. Our intern is Cate McKenzie. Special thanks to Dawnthea Price, Lisco. Our theme music was composed by Alexander Hitchens. Meg Lindholm is our executive producer. Steve Humble is VP’s Chief Content Officer. I’m your host, rich Meagher. Thanks for listening.