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I oppose all these unconstitutional, dangerous, and pointless laws.

I support this bill! Prisons should be safer and more productive for the people who reside and work in them, and more accountable and transparent to taxpayers, who cover this expense, the LARGEST one in the entire Commonwealth! I want to know who what when where and how my money is being spent!

It's time for accountability and transparency for the VADOC. With a $1.8 billion budget and no accountability, it's time for independent oversight. Please vote YES for HB555.

Good morning, I'm in support of HB 555 because the conversation of providing a Corrections Ombudsman (independent) has been long overdue. An ombudsman is needed to ensure that accountability be applied to the responsible parties as needed while also give the correctional officer who perform their sworn duties as mandated have a voice. Correctional officers are often forgotten heroes but serve an important role in public safety and law enforcement by ensuring custody, control and accountability of sentenced offenders assigned to their care. There are dedicated correctional officers within this profession who take pride in the uniform, but due to reduced staffing levels and inadequate compensation, it is contributing to unreasonable job expectations and vicarious liable situations within the ranks. Their service and sacrifice in protecting the citizen of the Commonwealth of Virginia should be supported by the passing of HB 555.

This practice is so detrimental to the well-being of all people. It has been studied and confirmed to cause more harm than good and it is well past time to discontinue. We need oversight of the jails and prisons to assure it stops.

This practice is so detrimental to the well-being of all people. It has been studied and confirmed to cause more harm than good and it is well past time to discontinue. We need oversight of the jails and prisons to assure it stops.

I am writing in support of HB 555. I will simply take Greensville Correctional Center as an example. 3 over dose deaths, an escaped individual, and a fire in one of the buildings, just days apart. Families had no contact with incarcerated loved ones for nearly a month. Families had to contact the media to get answers. Furthermore, there are men at Red Onion State Prison who are on a hunger strike to protest treatment by staff. Through our the DOC, there is an issue with drugs in the facilities, the lack luster medical treatment, the horrible food and small portions, the need for better mental health care, etc. There needs to be OUTSIDE oversight to see what is actually happening inside these facilities and to see how $1.5 Billion in taxpayer money is being spent.

The end of solitary confinement must be done My son was murdered in solitary confinement at Red Onion Prison in Pound Va on 1/3/22.

I support this bill! As we've all heard, the police should not be able to police themselves and I believe the same thing applies to VADOC! We need a 3rd party who will not be harassed or threatened by those employed by the VADOC, to go in and do thorough reporting. We cannot and will not continue to trust an agency that continues to sweep it's mess under the rug right in from of us and tell us we didn't see what we just witnessed. Pass this Bill!

Recently an independent study was conducted, it showed Virginia used their attack dogs 271 times. The highest in the country. The state in second place is Arizona, they used their dogs 15 times over the same period. So, are Virginia prisoners that much worse or does Virginia need to go back to the drawing board? There needs to be accountability and oversight if for this reason alone.

Recently an independent study was conducted, it showed Virginia used their attack dogs 271 times. The highest in the country. The state in second place is Arizona, they used their dogs 15 times over the same period. So, are Virginia prisoners that much worse or does Virginia need to go back to the drawing board? There needs to be accountability and oversight if for this reason alone.

The VADOC is a 1.5 billion dollar state funded agency. It also employees 11,000 state employees and incarcerates around 24,522 individuals. We must ask ourselves how can a State agency this large not receive any outside checks and balances? With an increase in overdoses, deaths, and reports of inhumane and unsafe conditions, I believe outside independent oversight is long overdue in Virginia's correctional system. Independent oversight will increase safety amongst staff and incarcerated individuals. It will also decrease lawsuits and provide public transparency to a state funded institution.

I write as formerly incarcerated, as well as someone hired by the Virginia Community College system office in January 2023 in part to coordinate opportunities between vendors providing education classes through the 23 member colleges and the jails and prisons in Virginia -- until I was fired in August of that same year due t o DOC's machinations. The position required me to visit the jails and prisons so that I could interact with inmates and staff to assess needs. Though (falsely) convicted of a felony, I was told that was not a bar to working again at VCCS (I had worked there from 2004-2015) nor would it be to the DOC, at which , I was told by DOC personnel, the department has many felons working there when I fretted to them that I had a felony. The woman working on my credential said, "You think you're special?" in regard to my admission. All knew; in fact, it was a requirement of the job. Almost immediately, DOC began to undermine my position while I waited for the credential. I was repeatedly stymied at the prison level by warden's and staff who refused to even provide up-to-date info as to who worked where so that I had accurate directory of contacts with which to work. The former DOC director and senior staff ignored my emails. The head of the education department also ignored me, as did his downline contact, Dr. Maddie., who refused to work cooperatively and took affirmative steps to avoid working with my newly created office. Accountability was the fear, as told to me confidentially by principals of facilities, staff, or coordinators, who feared for their jobs. A robust oversight committee of formerly incarcerated, experts in prison reform and education, and others -- no cronies!! -- must be instituted with broad oversight powers, which includes unscheduled visits, educational opportunities for older incarcerated people, and an address to staffing shortages. Oversight must include the strong recommendation that if adequate staff is not available or otherwise is not hired, less violent inmates should be released on parole -which must be expanded to address inhumane prison conditions. Reports of staff stealing rations and food, abuse of inmates including the intellectually disabled, and care for all through improved housing cannot be ignored any longer.

Comments Document

Interfaith Action for Human Rights (IAHR) issued a 45 page report in December summarizing correspondence we've had over the past 5 years with over 600 inmates in Virginia prisons. It highlights the numerous issues and problems they face that, if not addressed, can lead to needless litigation. We strongly support HR 555 that will provide legislative authority for an independent ombudsman to oversee the Department of Corrections. We believe it will benefit all involved -- the Virginia taxpayer, the Virginia legislature, the Department of Corrections, and, of course, the prisoners and their families. We hope you can read the full report -- we call it the Red Report (attached) -- but if not, please read the brief executive summary.

Comments Document

Interfaith Action for Human Rights (IAHR) issued a 45 page report in December summarizing correspondence we've had over the past 5 years with over 600 inmates in Virginia prisons. It highlights the numerous issues and problems they face that, if not addressed, can lead to needless litigation. We strongly support HR 555 that will provide legislative authority for an independent ombudsman to oversee the Department of Corrections. We believe it will benefit all involved -- the Virginia taxpayer, the Virginia legislature, the Department of Corrections, and, of course, the prisoners and their families. We hope you can read the full report -- we call it the Red Report (attached) -- but if not, please read the brief executive summary.