The governor and the state department of prisons are being urged by Virginia’s Black Legislative Caucus to launch an impartial inquiry into claims of mistreatment and subpar conditions at a supermax state prison.
Kevin Rashid Johnson, an inmate at Red Onion State Prison in western Virginia, broke the story in October via Prison Radio, a news outlet that focuses on prisoner stories, claiming that at least six inmates have burned themselves in protest of what they describe as abuse and unbearable living conditions.
According to Johnson, two of his cellmates burned themselves alive in September, claiming racism and mistreatment. Johnson went on to say that he and other inmates were burning themselves alive in an effort to get moved out of Red Onion because the harsh and cruel conditions there were so unbearable.
Johnson reported that Ekong Eshiet, one of the men, claimed that his was an act of desperation rather than protest.
Another inmate claimed that he had not been treated for long-term cardiac conditions. According to Johnson, Red Onion guards and medical personnel repeatedly mistreated that inmate, Charles Coleman, physically, verbally, and psychologically, and they refused to treat him.
The males used homemade devices that were made by tampering with electrical outlets to burn themselves, according to Christian Martinez, press secretary for Governor Glenn Youngkin. After receiving treatment for electrical burns, they were allowed to reenter the building.
Chad Dotson, the director of the Virginia Department of Corrections, described the reports from Red Onion as an attempt by advocacy groups that support jail abolition and policies that would make Virginians less safe to make cheap political points.
During a press conference on Tuesday, Youngkin stated that he was aware of six instances of prisoners at Red Onion setting themselves on fire in 2024.
Our Department of Corrections has conducted a thorough investigation of the burns. And I do believe that figuring out how and why they happened is a component of the investigation. “We have discussed these circumstances with the Department of Corrections,” Youngkin stated.
Youngkin made no mention of the terrible living conditions and inadequate care of prisoners at Red Onion.
In a post on X on Tuesday, the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus called for more research into the prison’s circumstances.While at least six men have self-immolated since September, up to 12 have done so since May 2023, according to Ceci Cain, the caucus legislative director, who spoke to NBC News.
In its statement, the caucus listed conditions that inmates have previously reported: Medical neglect, including the denial of medication, prolonged periods of solitary confinement (600 days in one instance), inedible food covered in maggots and officers’ spit, violent dog attacks, and regular racial and physical abuse by correctional officers, according to inmates who have been housed at Red Onion State Prison.
The agency has invited lawmakers to visit Red Onion and other state facilities to see the conditions for themselves, according to Dotson, director of corrections. Additionally, according to Dotson, all six of the prisoners who recently set themselves on fire have a history of self-harm.
Johnson stated in The Virginia Defender in June that he and six other inmates protested the practice of solitary confinement at Red Onion by going on a hunger strike in December 2023. Over the years, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have also looked into the institution for possible human rights abuses.
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