Hello. My name is David Annarelli, contributing writer for The Prison Journalism Project. This piece is entitled “Virginia DOC, Lawrenceville: The ‘Virginia Model’ Threats to Safety, Part One.'” Today is July 2nd. It is a Wednesday. The Virginia Department of Corrections has a long history of endangering those held captive. No matter the number of human beings maimed, and sometimes killed, as a result of Virginia DOC’s complete indifference, it never makes any changes of substance. Instead, it regularly opts for a campaign of misinformation, misdirection, or flat out deceit. The current smoke and mirror shows revolve around the Lawrenceville Correction Center, where, despite the Virginia DOC proclamations, it is still the same Virginia DOC, the “Virginia Model” we have all come to revile and fear. One of the many issues plaguing the Lawrenceville compound — and there are so many issues — is the staff. In fact, the staff, many of whom are left over from Geo Group, are a big part of all the problems. Specifically, it is a safety issue that, even though addressed by the fire marshal twice, has been openly ignored. Dead bolts on cell doors. These are not the deadbolts an average citizen might put on the doors to their home, but industrial size and strength deadbolts, and it is illegal both to have them on cell doors and especially to use them.
Obeying the law is not a Virginia DOC strength or even a concern, as its history vividly shows. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that on June 24th, a Tuesday, around 8AM, a Sergeant Stiff began closing the deadbolts illegally in place on Lawrenceville cell doors, during the targeted shakedown of 2 pod, in building 60. This happened the morning before, on Monday as well, when Sergeant Boyd did the same thing, mistakenly thinking the surprise shakedown was planned for Monday. In both instances, it only took about 30 minutes to correct this illegal action. The deadbolt slid to an open position, but that correction changes nothing. The act was committed; laws, safety and fire codes broken. Not a single person was held accountable. This is the “Virginia Model” behind the scenes. This is the incentive based prison that Virginia is claiming as an illustration of its new ways.
The Virginia Model — so named because Virginia is entirely incapable of following laws or human rights standards, let alone the growing trend of restorative justice reforms most states have begun to implement. In fact, the Virginia Model is based on state laws and statutes that are in some areas of the code book a century behind the modern world. The Virginia Model is about harm. It is about bread and circus distractions as a placeholder for substantive changes. The Virginia Model is an illusion where the Virginia DOC improves a bare minimum as a matter of basic human standards, and claims that being so very late to the game — still making no major changes — it is somehow coming into line with many other civilized countries, or other states, who are making legitimate changes. Even though the deadbolt’s still on the doors after twice being told to physically remove them from the doors, tells you everything you need to know about the lawless, dangerous Virginia DOC. That any staff member would think it okay to actually use the deadbolts, merely serves to drive the point home. But then, when has Virginia ever been anything more than a problem, a cancer left festering and unchecked? My name is David Annarelli. I’m a contributing writer for The Prison Journalism Project, davidanarelli.wordpress.com. I’m on Instagram @david_annarelli, and you can find me on Google. Thank you very much.
These commentaries are recorded by Prison Radio.
