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The rundown
The Virginia Department of Corrections attacked the Richmond Times-Dispatch over their reporting of facts
The ACLU-VA implied they will be suing over SB 739, but that is not exactly the case
Republicans are pushing to protect workers who refuse to get the Covid-19 vaccine
A company plans to invest $185 million in a new Virginia facility
More headlines from around Virginia politics.
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The VADOC attacked a journalist for pointing out a slate of lawsuits and incidents they have experienced
by Brandon Jarvis
The Richmond Times-Dispatch has reported on the issues plaguing the Virginia Department of Corrections in recent years. After covering the moves made by House Republicans with support from the VADOC’s legislative liaison to kill a bill that would have provided more independent oversight of the VADOC, the Richmond Times-Dispatch was attacked directly in a press release from VADOC.
The report from RTD highlighted at least seven different lawsuits and instances where the DOC was accused of mistreatment of incarcerated individuals - including the use of dogs to maul prisoners, under the current leadership.
In an unusual move, VADOC sent out a press release entitled “Virginia Department of Corrections Responds to Inaccurate Coverage, Skewed Reporting.”
They attacked the reporter who wrote the article that highlighted the slate of lawsuits and issues that occurred under the same VADOC leadership and called it “skewed” reporting.
The original article from RTD reported on Republicans and the VADOC legislative liaison opposing independent oversight of VADOC. The article states that VADOC’s legislative liaison told delegates that he believes there is already enough oversight.
The reporter stated what happened during a committee meeting in the General Assembly, highlighted the lawsuits that VADOC has faced, and provided commentary from experts in the field.
But in their press release Thursday, VADOC said the reporter who wrote the article “somehow took that legislative action and implied that VADOC is determined to reject all forms of external oversight or authority.”
VADOC then immediately followed up by saying they already have enough oversight. “In reality, Virginia’s legislature is more than capable of providing oversight when and where it sees a need. VADOC also receives direct supervision from the Governor and Virginia’s Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security,” VADOC wrote.
Under this current oversight, however, VADOC has experienced a slate of lawsuits and incidents.
VADOC then criticized Richmond Times-Dispatch for reporting on those several instances of accusations of mistreatment of prisoners. “Unfortunately, rather than providing an impartial recounting of both sides of this debate, the author lists a series of wholly unconnected events in an attempt to demonstrate why outside oversight should be implemented.”
The events, however, are all connected as they happened under the same leadership at VADOC.
VADOC then attempted to defend themselves for two of the seven instances mentioned in the article by stating that they settled one case to conserve taxpayer dollars and that they voluntarily provided evidence to a local commonwealth attorney in another.
However, providing evidence to a local commonwealth attorney after learning of abuse from a third party is not oversight; it is an attempt to save face.
The majority of the statement from VADOC was in defense of the employees in an attempt to gain sympathy for the staff across the commonwealth. The article and work from RTD is not a reflection of the staff at VADOC, however, but it highlights the decisions and actions of the leaders who oversee the department while all of these incidents have been happening.
ACLU-Virginia implied they are suing over the new mask-optional law in Virginia - that is not exactly the case
In response to a statement from Governor Glenn Youngkin where he was touting the passage of a bill that makes masks optional in Virginia schools, the ACLU of Virginia account said “We'll see you in court, Gov. Youngkin.” with a quote tweet.
