RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) – Virginia prisons will have to follow certain restrictions for prisoners housed in solitary confinement starting July 1.
Prisons throughout Virginia are now required to record the reason for using solitary, justify continued confinement in writing every seven days and provide incarcerated people in solitary confinement at least four hours of programming and other “out-of-cell programmatic interventions or other congregate activities per day.”
This comes after continued debate of whether the Commonwealth would put an end to solitary confinement.
The Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC) tells 8News a policy went into effect in January 2020 offering all inmates in solitary confinement a minimum of four hours of out-of-cell time. While this part of the law has been maintained for more than three and a half years, it’s been codified, effective July 1, 2023.
Examples of activities and programs include Interactive Journaling, small process groups, reading, educational materials and recreational activities.
This law applies to thousands of prisoners in Virginia’s prisons. According to VADOC, from July 2021 to June 2022, roughly 5,000 inmates were placed in solitary confinement. The average stay in solitary confinement is 11 days.
What the law does not include is 15-day limit as recommended by Senator Joe Morrissey. Some, like Delegate Glenn Davis Jr. believe this is a good compromise.
“Virginia leads the way in prison reform with this bill,” said Davis Jr.
But Natasha White with Interfaith Action for Human Rights says otherwise.
“Until you put a limit on the use of solitary confinement, you’ve done nothing,” said White.
White says she will continue to push for a limit to solitary confinement. In the meantime, she is concerned prisoners will continue to feel the negative effects.
“There will still be suicides. There will still be violent behavior,” said White. “You are doing nothing but making somebody angry, breaking spirits and literally driving them crazy.”
