Virginia state prisons under scrutiny after reports of guards brutalizing inmates
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Virginia prisons are in the spotlight this week amid dual reports alleging guards brutalized inmates.
What's happening: The FBI is investigating the death of a disabled Virginia prisoner who family members allege was "sadistically tortured" by guards, the AP reports.
- Meanwhile, an investigation by Insider found Virginia leads the country in the use of dogs to attack inmates, a practice that has left prisoners with permanent injuries and is banned in many states.
Why it matters: It's an especially bad look for a department that for years has been fending off calls for outside oversight.
The latest: The FBI alerted family members of Charles Givens that they were investigating his February 2022 death at Marion Correctional Treatment Center, per the AP, which reviewed the email.
- Family members have said they were initially told by prison officials that Givens, who was intellectually disabled and serving time for murder, died of natural causes.
- An autopsy later concluded he died of blunt force trauma and found signs of ongoing abuse, per NPR, which first reported Givens' death last month.
Zoom out: The AP report came the day after a lengthy investigation by Insider into the use of patrol dogs in prisons.
- Insider called Virginia an "extreme outlier, commanding dogs to attack on an unmatched scale" in the state's six high-security prisons.
By the numbers: Insider documented 271 dog attacks between 2017 and 2022. The next nearest number of attacks during that period the news outlet was able to document was 15 in Arizona.
- Staff most often unleashed dogs on inmates to force out inmates who refused to leave their cells.
What they're saying: Inmates told Insider that being attacked left them with recurring nightmares, PTSD and in some cases long-lasting physical disabilities.
The other side: Prison officials defended their use of the animals as legal under state law and said they are primarily used for their "presence" as a deterrent to bad behavior.
- As for the FBI's investigation into Givens' death, the department did not respond to a request for comment, though the AP reports the individual guards accused in his death denied the abuse allegations in court filings.
Between the lines: Both issues are likely to figure prominently in advocates' ongoing push to establish an independent ombudsman to investigate issues within the prison system.