Loved ones of inmates call for Department of Corrections to close three prisons, remove current leadership
VENN
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Loved ones of those in the Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC) are clamoring for change.
Dozens rallied outside of the VADOC headquarters in Richmond on Friday, Oct. 24, calling for a change in leadership and for three prisons to be shutdown for what they call poor conditions and inhumane treatment.
Protesters lined the street in Richmond on Oct. 24.
The three facilities they want closed are Red Onion State Prison in Wise County, Wallens Ridge State Prison in Big Stone Gap and River North Correctional Center in Grayson County.
They also want VADOC Director Chadwick Dotson, Chief Deputy Director David Robinson, River North warden David Anderson, warden David Zook and Greensville Correctional Center warden Kevin McCoy to step down.
8News reached out to the VADOC, which said it would not be commenting on the rally or the demands.
Protesters started with picketing at the intersection of the Midlothian Turnpike and Arcadia Street, then marched to VADOC headquarters. Loved ones of inmates shared their experiences, like April Wright, whose son is at River North.
“My son has been starved, he has burned himself, caught himself on fire," Wright said. "Does anybody know what it takes mentally to catch your skin on fire? His pants were burnt into his flesh.”
In a previous 8News investigation of similar allegations, VADOC officials said inmates did not light themselves on fire, but burned themselves by tampering with electrical outlets.
A spokesperson responded to the burning allegations in November of 2024 specifically at Red Onion, one of the three prisons protestors want to see closed.
"What we gather and do believe [is] that the inmates were just manipulating to get a transfer out of the facility," Western Region Operations Chief Gregory Holloway told 8News.
But people at the rally spoke to a laundry list of issues that have faced Virginia prisons and say they won't be controlled into silence while their loved ones suffer.
Protesters hold signs asking for Virginia prisons to close.
“I was scared to speak out here for a long time, you know," Nicole Miner, a mother of an inmate at Red Onion said. "He’s not the only one in solitary confinement. I am too.”
“Are they sending us to prisons or are they sending us to concentration camps?" mother of an inmate at Keen Mountain Correctional Center in Buchanan County Melinda Evans said.
While some said the rally was encouraging, they also said the fight can't stop here.
“We need more people," Wright said. "This is good, I mean, it’s more people involving themselves, but we need everybody who has someone inside.”
It's unclear what next steps look like for the protestors.
