Significant staffing issues at Hampton Roads Regional Jail detailed in federal report

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — A significant staffing shortage at the Hampton Roads Regional Jail has created “health and safety concerns” for security and medical workers at the facility, according to a federal report.

10 On Your Side first uncovered serious staffing issues at the HRRJ in November when investigator Chris Horne interviewed an inmate who said that staffing shortages were prohibiting workers from properly caring for medical cases at the jail. Horne also spoke with a former HRRJ deputy who said she left the jail in September because she was concerned about her health and safety.

At the time of 10 On Your Side’s reporting, notes from a recent HRRJ board meeting showed significant vacancies. People listed short-staffing, being overworked, and fear of COVID-19 among their reasons for leaving the jail.

About two weeks after 10 On Your Side first reported the HRRJ’s staffing shortages, James Conrad Welch issued a formal report detailing similar issues to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Welch is an independent monitor who was hired by the HRRJ following a two-year investigation into the jail by the DOJ. That investigation concluded in December 2018, finding that conditions at the jail violated inmates’ basic constitutional rights and protections under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Welch’s role as monitor is part of a consent decree proposed by the DOJ earlier this year in response to their investigation.

Welch visited the HRRJ for several days in October and November. He observed the jail’s operations, including its medical and mental health services. In his report, Welch wrote that it is “critical” for HRRJ leadership to find a solution for the staffing shortage over the next six months, adding that there were 73 vacancies in October and 85 in November.

“Due to this shortage, there are not enough officers to provide coverage for pill pass, routine visits by medical and mental health staff, and to escort inmates to appointments in the clinic area. This has led to health and safety concerns for both security and healthcare staff,” Welch wrote.

Welch noted that a significant challenge facing staff is the fatigue they are experiencing due to the worker shortage and the coronavirus pandemic. He also wrote that the September death of HRRJ Master Officer Robert Charles Sunukjian “placed additional strain on the system.” The 48-year-old died after contracting the coronavirus during an outbreak at the HRRJ, 10 On Your Side investigators reported.

“This had a negative impact on staff morale,” Welch wrote. “Some individuals chose to leave and seek employment elsewhere.”

Welch wrote that about a dozen inmates were overdue for medical chronic care appointments during his first visit to the HRRJ in October. Medical staff said the reason was due to a COVID-19 outbreak in September, when 135 inmates tested positive. Welch wrote that those chronic care appointments should be caught up within 10 days of their discovery, because the number of COVID-19 cases at the jail had dramatically decreased by October; however, during his second visit to the jail, there were again about a dozen inmates overdue for their chronic care appointments, according to the report.

“The challenge this month was the lack of security staff to escort the patients for their chronic care appointments,” he wrote, noting that there was no backlog for mental health appointments, but that inmates were not able to attend those in confidential settings.

Welch wrote that it’s clear that current HRRJ staff are working at their full capacity, but meeting the daily challenges is difficult for many officers because they are pulled in several different directions during their shifts.

“The struggles each are having due to the current staffing and COVID-19 situation was palpable,” Welch also wrote. “However, they were committed to improvement, even under the current circumstances.”

The report also highlighted several ways the HRRJ plans to mitigate issues created by the staffing shortage, including recruitment strategies and a stipend issues to workers as a “thank you for working under the current challenges.”

Among those fixes is a security consultant who was hired to help update HRRJ policies and procedures. The HRRJ Authority has also assigned staff from the city jails that send inmates to the regional jail to help with coverage of inmate hospital stays and transportation, according to the report.

The jail will also use civilian mental health workers to cover suicide watches at the HRRJ, a proven strategy that’s been used in facilities across the United States. These workers will give the jail a minimum of 113 hours of additional security staffing every month, according to the report.

10 On Your Side investigators reached out to HRRJ superintendent Lt. Col. Chris Walz with additional questions for this report. He confirmed that the board recently approved a reduction of inmates at HRRJ to address staff shortages.

There will be 255 inmates transferred out of the facility, according to board meeting minutes, Walz said.

He said there are currently 91 vacancies, which includes the ten new positions that became available July 1. As an incentive to attract candidates, they have implemented a $1,000 sign on bonus. Walz said Human Resources is utilizing virtual, community-based and on-site recruitment strategies.