Virginia to close 4 prisons and oust private operator

• The private prison, Lawrenceville Correctional Center operated by the Geo Group in Brunswick County, has faced especially strong criticism amid an array of safety breaches.

What they're saying: "These decisions were made to enhance employee, inmate, and probationer safety," the Virginia Department of Corrections said in a news release Friday.

Between the lines: Gov. Youngkin installed a new prison chief this fall, replacing longtime DOC head Harold Clarke with Chadwick Dotson, a former judge who had been leading Yougnkin's parole board.

Of note: The closures come amid persistent staffing struggles for the department, which has more employees than any other state agency or department.

• But they also coincide with a drop in the state's inmate population since the COVID-19 pandemic.

By the numbers: The state's 27 largest prisons held an average daily population of nearly 26,000 heading into the pandemic, per department stats. That's down to under 22,000 as of October, the latest month for which data was available.