The “Virginia Model: Bait and Switch Equals Overt Deceit.” December 22, 2025.
For decades, Virginia and its Department of Corrections have been known for every constitutional and human rights violation under the sun. In recent years, now especially under director Chadwick Dotson and aid from his second and third in command, a concerted effort to defraud the citizens of Virginia has been underway. Open dishonesty, marketing ploys such as the now exposed fraud of “the Virginia Model” and messaging in vague, uncertain terms are just some of the tactics being used to cover up the disgraceful image of the Virginia DOC.
One of the other tactics is a classic bait and switch routine, and here’s how it works. On August 1, 2025 it was reported the following statistics at The Virginia Model prison, Lawrenceville Correctional; a 100% reduction in confirmed drug overdoses and overdose deaths, note the word confirmed; 100% reduction in serious assaults among captives; 100% reduction in total fights; 94% drop in positive drug tests and a 75% decrease in cell phone seizures. It all sounds good, and it is actually factual, but it is not entirely honest. None of those problems were solved. Instead, all of the captives associated with causing those problems were transferred en masse to Pocahontas, Green Rock, Wallens Ridge, Red Onion, Nottoway, River North, and other Virginia DOC prisons. Pocahontas and Green Rock are currently reporting an increase in many of those same issues. By separating the captives among the other Virginia DOC prisons, the Virginia DOC padded the numbers- bait and switch.
The Virginia DOC solves nothing. It is an illusion, and it cost 1.5 billion in tax dollars. And it is worth noting that the admins at Lawrenceville are documented, and on record, committing several criminal acts, constitutional violations. Director Dotson and others are aware and have so far conspired to allow it to go unaddressed, while punishing the reporter who exposed the issues. This was myself.
Let’s look at the money a little bit closer, because WRIC reporter, Caitlin Carlo, posted on September 2, 2025, about “Virginia DOC spends over $462,000 on inmate incentives, blah, blah, blah.” The Virginia Model spent $368,590 on upgraded mattresses. These are better stuffed, but still not up to human standards, as I personally witnessed them. $92,000 excuse me, $92,595.03 on salad bars, which provide an average size side salad with dressing five days a week. And $914.49 for “supplies for cornhole boards,” the total coming to over $462,000. If you do the math, $462,000 is equal to 0.03% of the 1.5 billion annual budget- 300th of one percent. Also, how exactly is cornhole boards an incentive? Once again, we see that the Virginia DOC has changed nothing, and that petty expenditure on absolutely cursory changes was across three prisons, expanding The Virginia Model to a total of four acts of dishonesty and fraud.
What has not changed is everything else: death, brutality, lacking medical care, lack of neurodivergence care. The Virginia DOC, under guidance from the RICO Act qualifying administrators in Richmond and 37 prisons in Virginia DOC continues to defraud Virginia citizens. RICO, by the way, stands for racketeering influencing and criminal organization, which is what the Virginia DOC does and is. To see real incentive prisons, look into the South Carolina prison covered in a recent issue of the Marshall Project’s Inside Out magazine. If you would like to see real change, check out the NPR [National Public Radio] report from November 7, 2025. It’s about Maine prisoners doing remote work on laptops for real world wages with outside the prison jobs.
The Virginia Model has dead captives. Virginia DOC staff caught committing crimes and side salads. I wonder at what point will someone actually care enough to deal with the criminals who operate Virginia’s prisons. You will find them in the positions of administration in Richmond, 37 prison franchises, and wearing DOC security uniforms. Finally, it’s worth noting that among the other lies is this idea that the Virginia DOC is understaffed. It is not. It is overcrowded. That is the problem. You have 10,000 people who don’t need to be in prison. You are more and more seeing neurodivergent people. There are three people who have autism in my pod alone. It has to stop, and the DOC is the problem. My name is David Anarelli, davidannarelli.wordpress.com, prisonjournalismproject.org, where I’m a contributing writer, and check me out on Instagram and google my name. Thank you very much.
These commentaries are recorded by Prison Radio.
