RICHMOND, Va. – Recent investigations into multiple inmate deaths at the Richmond City Justice Center have prompted action from the Board of Local and Regional Jails (BOLRJ). The findings of the board’s review pointed to a consistent failure by the jail to adhere to state standards governing inmate supervision. The gravity of this situation has led to the establishment of a compliance plan for the Richmond City Jail.
One of the major issues identified by the board is the failure to conduct the required number of security inspections of inmate housing areas. These standards necessitate a minimum of two security inspections per hour, thorough documentation of all inspections and unusual incidents, and ensuring unobstructed views of inmates and the entire housing area. The board’s findings contradicted prior public statements made by Richmond Sheriff Antionette Irving, who leads the jail.
This comes in light of at least five reported inmate deaths at the Richmond Jail between March 2022 and March 2023, with four of them occurring within a span of five months. Investigations into these deaths have revealed supervision violations, including drug overdoses involving fentanyl. Concerns about safety protocols inside the jail have been raised by family members of the deceased inmates, prompting the board to take action.
To address these violations, the Richmond City Justice Center is expected to implement an array of measures outlined in a compliance plan approved by the board. These measures include implementing an automated system for recording security rounds, conducting internal audits, and training officers on the consequences of falsifying public records.
Sheriff Irving has acknowledged the issues and outlined steps to address them, including additional training on record keeping accuracy and the installation of an electronic system for recording security rounds in real-time. However, the action plan submitted by Irving did not include the underlying factors contributing to the violations, a move that garnered further scrutiny from the board.
The board refrained from definitively linking the cited violations to the cause of inmate deaths, as it abstained from exercising its authority to declare a causal connection between the violations and deaths. Despite this, the establishment of a compliance plan signals a crucial step towards ensuring the safety and well-being of inmates at the Richmond City Justice Center.