‘What Leadership Reflects,’ recorded on May 14, 2026.
There are no prisons in the Virginia DOC that operate properly. This is, in part, a result of archaic policies long ago decided upon as useless by numerous organizations. The Virginia DOC prisons are poorly maintained, allowed to squander resources and implement endless failed programs, whose only purpose seems to be to generate statistics used solely for demanding more budget or grant monies, among other systematic issues. All of these problems stem directly from Richmond administrators, too often aided by the feckless cowards that fill the Virginia General Assembly seats. These are all the same people who also have a hand in staffing the Virginia DOC.
As is too often the case, Virginia’s DOC staff are too much of the problem. Their training usually includes outright false information and from there it only gets worse. You’d be shocked to know just how many of the staff have nothing good to say about the Virginia DOC and those of the administration positions. The flip side of that coin are the too many Virginia DOC staff who are corrupt: drug mules, others who carry in contraband, sociopaths who enjoy punishing those in an essentially helpless position. These are the ones who are responsible for such things as the fentanyl overdose at Hazel Correctional on April 28, 2026. This occurred in the recent reentry unit, where clearly no one is being prepared for a healthy and restored return to society. I do hear that the overdose victim will survive. The Virginia DOC will most likely retaliate against him with some sort of punitive measures. They won’t help him, and that is a guarantee. The problem is that, as it is with all hierarchies, staff emulate the leadership. I’ve reported before about corrupt administration, and I’m even named as the plaintiff in a suit for the follow-up criminal acts of retaliation. So does the wardens of a prison, who are the examples.
The current warden of Hainesville is a great example of poor leadership. He was once the warden of Sussex Correctional, a prison that has fallen into such levels of disrepair that should have been closed long ago. Sussex, a high security prison, a level 4-5, is most well known for free flowing drugs, stabbings, homemade clear liquor, and staff prostitution rates; all of this under the purview of the same warden who now presides over Haynesville. Given that Sussex was a high security prison, you can only imagine the direction Haynesville, a low-security prison, is going. While Haynesville is now seeing excessive and blatantly useless security measures, the drugs are increasing, the mental health care is diminishing, and the staff subordinates are openly and very obviously turning a blind eye to all of the most serious problems. At the same time, petty, nonsensical rules that impact not a single aspect of prison safety, or security are being thrown about like sand on a beach.
Haynesville is a disgracefully mismanaged, but that is par for the course in the Virginia DOC. Of course, the failure of the warden of Haynesville and Sussex is only a reflection of the corruption of the Virginia Department of Corrections administration at 6900 Atmore, in Richmond. After all, embezzlement and other forms of grit have to be approved at the top, even by a silence. Silence is consent, after all. And it is the silence of Virginia citizens and citizens nationwide now that has allowed the deprivation of society and degeneration of society here and elsewhere. Silence, along with good old-fashioned greed and avarice and the aristocracy and moneyed noble caste – it is going to get worse. So, just keep playing “Royal Kingdom.”
Also, it’s worth noting that recently the administrators at Richmond tried to claim that they have 13,000 open positions in their DOC system. This is absolutely absurd, especially when knowingly they have 10,000 too many prisoners in their overcrowded system. Once again, keep playing “Royal Kingdom,” people. My name is David Annarelli, and davidannarelli.wordpress.com, prisonjournalismproject.org. Find me at the Justice Arts Coalition, minutes before six, Prison Writers, blah blah blah. Google me for more. Thank you.
These commentaries are recorded by Prison Radio.
