Virginia Department of Corrections
Encyclopedia
The Virginia Department of Corrections (DOC) is the government agency responsible for operating prison
s and correctional facilities for the US Commonwealth of Virginia. The agency is fully accredited by the American Correctional Association
and is one of the oldest functioning correctional agencies in the United States. It has its headquarters in Richmond
.
After the Revolutionary War, Thomas Jefferson
began to urge the Virginia construct a "penitentiary house" as was being done in Europe. At that time, penitentiary house were being used throughout Europe to confine and reform criminals. Unfortunately, for more than a decade, the Virginia General Assembly
ignored Jefferson's ideas.
In 1796, a wave of reform swept the Virginia Legislature, and Benjamin Latrobe
was engaged to design a penitentiary house for the newly formed Virginia Department of Welfare and Institutions. Latrobe's facility was constructed on a site outside of Richmond overlooking the James River
. The facility, which received its first prisoners in 1800 and was completed (with prison labor) in 1804, was known by generations of Virginians as the Virginia State Penitentiary or "The Pen". This structure later burned and was razed in 1905. A new facility was built and operated continuously until being demolished in 1992. In 1896, a farm operation (James River Correctional Center
) was established for "miscreants and the infirm" in Goochland County. This facility continues to operate in the same location to this day.
Since the 19th century, Virginia has opened many more correctional facilities. In 1944, the Virginia Department of Corrections was officially formed out of the former Virginia Department of Welfare and Institutions, the Virginia Parole Board and the Virginia Department of Probation
and Parole
Services by an act of the Virginia Legislature. Today, the Virginia Department of Corrections, which oversees the operation of the Commonwealth's adult corrections facilities, operates 30 major institutions, 8 correctional field units, 6 work centers, 4 diversion centers, and 3 detention centers. As of 2010, the Virginia Department of Corrections has 24,024 inmates.
. Clarke was appointed to his new position in Virginia by Governor Bob McDonnell
in October, 2010.
The Director is the Chief Executive Officer for the Virginia Department of Corrections. The Department is divided into four divisions, and the Director appoints a Deputy Director at the head of each division. The divisions are: The Division of Operations, The Division of Administration, the Division of Community Corrections, and the Division of Human Resources. In addition, there is an Office of Inspector General
for the Department of Corrections, who is also appointed by the Director.
Community Corrections
Community Corrections official began in Virginia before the creation of the Department of Corrections. It was established as its own independent agency on October 1, 1942 as the Probation and Parole Services Agency. It has steadily added investigatory and supervision responsibilities for an increasing number of criminal offender categories. Agents of the Community Corrections division are usually referred to as probation and parole officers. In 1995, the practice of parole was abolished by an act of the Virginia legislature after years of high profile cases were murders were committed by parolees. The sentencing courts can not dictate when the offender will be released, calling it post-release supervision.
Initially charged with the supervision and investigation of felon
probationers, discretionary parolees and conditional parolees without benefit of specialized staff or internal service resources, Community Corrections has evolved into a nationally accredited agency within the Virginia Department of Corrections. Officers are now mandated to investigate and prepare Presentence Reports on all convicted felons, perform victim impact statements, calculate sentencing guidelines, prepare risk assessments for the courts on sexual offenders, technical violators and non-violent defendants, provided victims with information, conduct Interstate Compact transfer investigations, report on drug dealers and gang members to the Virginia Commonwealth Attorney's Office; screen, assess, test and treat offenders with substance abuse
or alcohol problems, identify public assistance recipients who test positively for illegal drugs and supervise the above groups of offenders along with mandatory releasees, geriatric releasees, postrelease supervisees, deferred judgment cases; plus administratively directed drug court program offenders. In addition, it is responsible for the Department and Board of Corrections' activities with local and regional jails and providing staff support for the Virginia Parole Board.
The "abolish parole" legislation enacted in 1994 re-engineered the criminal justice system in Virginia and codified the Statewide Community-Based Corrections System for state responsible offenders. This significantly increased the sentencing and sanctioning options for the Circuit Courts and the Parole Board. The result has been the establishment of a complex and diversified organization with a wide array of programs and services.
Currently, the Community Corrections system includes a central and four (4) regional administrative offices, six (6) central support units, forty-two(42) probation and parole districts (offices,) seven (7) drug court programs, ten (10) day reporting centers, six (6) diversion centers, four (4) detention centers, a boot camp, work release contracts with thirty (30) jails, ten (10) adult residential transition therapeutic community contract facilities and more than sixty (60) service contracts and memoranda of agreement (MOA.) Its staff administers the Interstate Compact Unit for the Supervision of Probationers and Parolees, conducts more than 79,000 investigations annually and supervises over 49,000 felon offenders.
Probation and Parole Officers are authorized to carry a concealed weapon after completing psychological testing, a comprehensive criminal background check and 40 hours of training. This authorization was granted to them by the Virginia Legislature in 1995.
. The execution chamber is at Greensville Correctional Center
. On August 3, 1998, the male death row moved from Mecklenburg Correctional Center
to its current location.
. The department banned publications of some classic literature books, such as Ulysses
by James Joyce
and Lady Chatterley's Lover
by D. H. Lawrence
until 2010, when, as a result of a lawsuit filed by an inmate, a federal court instructed the agency to begin permitting the circulation of the books.
raised concerns over conditions at Red Onion State Prison
. The report states that "the Virginia Department of Corrections has failed to embrace basic tenets of sound correctional practice and laws protecting inmates from abusive, degrading or cruel treatment" and claims that "racism, excessive violence and inhumane conditions reign inside."
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
s and correctional facilities for the US Commonwealth of Virginia. The agency is fully accredited by the American Correctional Association
American Correctional Association
The American Correctional Association , formerly known as the American Prison Association, is the oldest and largest international correctional association in the world. Approximately 80 percent of all state departments of corrections and youth services are active participants...
and is one of the oldest functioning correctional agencies in the United States. It has its headquarters in Richmond
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
.
History
Virginia, from the time of the first settlement at Jamestown to the relocation of the state capital to Richmond in the late 18th century, relied upon corporal and capital punishment as its penal measures. Gradually, Virginia began to use small county jails for sentences of confinement.After the Revolutionary War, Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
began to urge the Virginia construct a "penitentiary house" as was being done in Europe. At that time, penitentiary house were being used throughout Europe to confine and reform criminals. Unfortunately, for more than a decade, the Virginia General Assembly
Virginia General Assembly
The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the oldest legislative body in the Western Hemisphere, established on July 30, 1619. The General Assembly is a bicameral body consisting of a lower house, the Virginia House of Delegates, with 100 members,...
ignored Jefferson's ideas.
In 1796, a wave of reform swept the Virginia Legislature, and Benjamin Latrobe
Benjamin Latrobe
Benjamin Henry Boneval Latrobe was a British-born American neoclassical architect best known for his design of the United States Capitol, along with his work on the Baltimore Basilica, the first Roman Catholic Cathedral in the United States...
was engaged to design a penitentiary house for the newly formed Virginia Department of Welfare and Institutions. Latrobe's facility was constructed on a site outside of Richmond overlooking the James River
James River (Virginia)
The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia. It is long, extending to if one includes the Jackson River, the longer of its two source tributaries. The James River drains a catchment comprising . The watershed includes about 4% open water and an area with a population of 2.5 million...
. The facility, which received its first prisoners in 1800 and was completed (with prison labor) in 1804, was known by generations of Virginians as the Virginia State Penitentiary or "The Pen". This structure later burned and was razed in 1905. A new facility was built and operated continuously until being demolished in 1992. In 1896, a farm operation (James River Correctional Center
James River Correctional Center
James River Correctional Center is a medium-security state-run correctional facility in Goochland County, Virginia, USA near Crozier, Virginia.Opened 1896 but built in 1913, the center has approximately 450 male prisoners at any given time.-External links:...
) was established for "miscreants and the infirm" in Goochland County. This facility continues to operate in the same location to this day.
Since the 19th century, Virginia has opened many more correctional facilities. In 1944, the Virginia Department of Corrections was officially formed out of the former Virginia Department of Welfare and Institutions, the Virginia Parole Board and the Virginia Department of Probation
Probation
Probation literally means testing of behaviour or abilities. In a legal sense, an offender on probation is ordered to follow certain conditions set forth by the court, often under the supervision of a probation officer...
and Parole
Parole
Parole may have different meanings depending on the field and judiciary system. All of the meanings originated from the French parole . Following its use in late-resurrected Anglo-French chivalric practice, the term became associated with the release of prisoners based on prisoners giving their...
Services by an act of the Virginia Legislature. Today, the Virginia Department of Corrections, which oversees the operation of the Commonwealth's adult corrections facilities, operates 30 major institutions, 8 correctional field units, 6 work centers, 4 diversion centers, and 3 detention centers. As of 2010, the Virginia Department of Corrections has 24,024 inmates.
Organizational structure
The Virginia Department of Corrections is an agency of the Virginia Secretariat of Public Safety, under the leadership of Secretary of Public Safety Marla Decker, and department Director Harold Clarke. Clarke comes to Virginia after a stint as the director of the Massachusetts Department of Corrections and prior to that head of the Washington Department of Corrections and Nebraska Department of Corrections. It was in Nebraska where Clarke gained much of his professional experience, starting as a inmate counselor in 1974 and gradually rising to the rank of warden at the Nebraska State PenitentiaryNebraska State Penitentiary
The Nebraska State Penitentiary is a state correctional facility for the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services. Located in Lincoln, it is the oldest state correctional facility in Nebraska, opening in 1869...
. Clarke was appointed to his new position in Virginia by Governor Bob McDonnell
Bob McDonnell
Robert Francis "Bob" McDonnell is an American politician who has been the 71st Governor of Virginia since January 2010. A former lieutenant colonel in the United States Army, McDonnell served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1993 to 2006 and served as Attorney General of Virginia from 2006...
in October, 2010.
The Director is the Chief Executive Officer for the Virginia Department of Corrections. The Department is divided into four divisions, and the Director appoints a Deputy Director at the head of each division. The divisions are: The Division of Operations, The Division of Administration, the Division of Community Corrections, and the Division of Human Resources. In addition, there is an Office of Inspector General
Inspector General
An Inspector General is an investigative official in a civil or military organization. The plural of the term is Inspectors General.-Bangladesh:...
for the Department of Corrections, who is also appointed by the Director.
Community Corrections
Community Corrections official began in Virginia before the creation of the Department of Corrections. It was established as its own independent agency on October 1, 1942 as the Probation and Parole Services Agency. It has steadily added investigatory and supervision responsibilities for an increasing number of criminal offender categories. Agents of the Community Corrections division are usually referred to as probation and parole officers. In 1995, the practice of parole was abolished by an act of the Virginia legislature after years of high profile cases were murders were committed by parolees. The sentencing courts can not dictate when the offender will be released, calling it post-release supervision.
Initially charged with the supervision and investigation of felon
Felony
A felony is a serious crime in the common law countries. The term originates from English common law where felonies were originally crimes which involved the confiscation of a convicted person's land and goods; other crimes were called misdemeanors...
probationers, discretionary parolees and conditional parolees without benefit of specialized staff or internal service resources, Community Corrections has evolved into a nationally accredited agency within the Virginia Department of Corrections. Officers are now mandated to investigate and prepare Presentence Reports on all convicted felons, perform victim impact statements, calculate sentencing guidelines, prepare risk assessments for the courts on sexual offenders, technical violators and non-violent defendants, provided victims with information, conduct Interstate Compact transfer investigations, report on drug dealers and gang members to the Virginia Commonwealth Attorney's Office; screen, assess, test and treat offenders with substance abuse
Substance abuse
A substance-related disorder is an umbrella term used to describe several different conditions associated with several different substances .A substance related disorder is a condition in which an individual uses or abuses a...
or alcohol problems, identify public assistance recipients who test positively for illegal drugs and supervise the above groups of offenders along with mandatory releasees, geriatric releasees, postrelease supervisees, deferred judgment cases; plus administratively directed drug court program offenders. In addition, it is responsible for the Department and Board of Corrections' activities with local and regional jails and providing staff support for the Virginia Parole Board.
The "abolish parole" legislation enacted in 1994 re-engineered the criminal justice system in Virginia and codified the Statewide Community-Based Corrections System for state responsible offenders. This significantly increased the sentencing and sanctioning options for the Circuit Courts and the Parole Board. The result has been the establishment of a complex and diversified organization with a wide array of programs and services.
Currently, the Community Corrections system includes a central and four (4) regional administrative offices, six (6) central support units, forty-two(42) probation and parole districts (offices,) seven (7) drug court programs, ten (10) day reporting centers, six (6) diversion centers, four (4) detention centers, a boot camp, work release contracts with thirty (30) jails, ten (10) adult residential transition therapeutic community contract facilities and more than sixty (60) service contracts and memoranda of agreement (MOA.) Its staff administers the Interstate Compact Unit for the Supervision of Probationers and Parolees, conducts more than 79,000 investigations annually and supervises over 49,000 felon offenders.
Probation and Parole Officers are authorized to carry a concealed weapon after completing psychological testing, a comprehensive criminal background check and 40 hours of training. This authorization was granted to them by the Virginia Legislature in 1995.
Death row
The male death row is at Sussex I State Prison, while the female death row is at the Fluvanna Correctional Center for WomenFluvanna Correctional Center for Women
Fluvanna Correctional Center for Women is a prison operated by the Virginia Department of Corrections. It is located in an unincorporated area of Fluvanna County, Virginia, near the town of Troy, about northwest of Richmond...
. The execution chamber is at Greensville Correctional Center
Greensville Correctional Center
Greensville Correctional Center is a prison facility located in unincorporated Greensville County, Virginia, near Jarratt. It is operated by the Virginia Department of Corrections. Greensville houses the execution chamber used to carry out capital punishment by the Commonwealth of...
. On August 3, 1998, the male death row moved from Mecklenburg Correctional Center
Mecklenburg Correctional Center
Mecklenburg Correctional Center is a medium security prison operated by the Virginia Department of Corrections in unincorporated Mecklenburg County, Virginia, United States, near Boydton. The facility serves as a reception and classification facility...
to its current location.
Rules
The department permits the circulation of some softcore magazines such as PlayboyPlayboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
. The department banned publications of some classic literature books, such as Ulysses
Ulysses (novel)
Ulysses is a novel by the Irish author James Joyce. It was first serialised in parts in the American journal The Little Review from March 1918 to December 1920, and then published in its entirety by Sylvia Beach on 2 February 1922, in Paris. One of the most important works of Modernist literature,...
by James Joyce
James Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century...
and Lady Chatterley's Lover
Lady Chatterley's Lover
Lady Chatterley's Lover is a novel by D. H. Lawrence, first published in 1928. The first edition was printed privately in Florence, Italy with assistance from Pino Orioli; it could not be published openly in the United Kingdom until 1960...
by D. H. Lawrence
D. H. Lawrence
David Herbert Richards Lawrence was an English novelist, poet, playwright, essayist, literary critic and painter who published as D. H. Lawrence. His collected works represent an extended reflection upon the dehumanising effects of modernity and industrialisation...
until 2010, when, as a result of a lawsuit filed by an inmate, a federal court instructed the agency to begin permitting the circulation of the books.
Fallen officers
Since the establishment of the Virginia Department of Corrections, 13 officers have died in the line of duty.Controversies
A 1999 report by Human Rights WatchHuman Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
raised concerns over conditions at Red Onion State Prison
Red Onion State Prison
Red Onion State Prison is a supermax state prison located in unincorporated Wise County, Virginia, near Pound, operated by the Virginia Department of Corrections, it houses about 800 inmates. The prison opened in August, 1998 and is an identical facility to the Wallens Ridge State Prison in Big...
. The report states that "the Virginia Department of Corrections has failed to embrace basic tenets of sound correctional practice and laws protecting inmates from abusive, degrading or cruel treatment" and claims that "racism, excessive violence and inhumane conditions reign inside."
See also
- List of United States state correction agencies
- List of law enforcement agencies in Virginia
- PrisonPrisonA prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...