Unlawful Solitary Confinement At Nottoway Correctional Center (Virginia)
I want to bring it to your attention that the “Restorative Housing” unit at Nottoway Correctional Center in Burkeville, Virginia is operating its solitary confinement unit in total conflict with state law, see Virginia Code Section 53.1-39.2.
I just spent 68 days in solitary confinement. I requested an accommodation for my healthcare, the pod they wanted to assign me to offered no accommodation, so they put me into solitary confinement under “protective” status. I was kept in a barren cell without anything to do – no books, games, or other activities. My orthotics were taken for “security reasons” preventing me from participating in out of cell activities. I had nothing to do but eat, sleep, and read my mail.
State law requires that persons in solitary confinement be allowed similar opportunities for activities, movement and social interaction as general population when housed under protective status. State law also allows persons under protective status to opt out of solitary confinement at any time. Also, state law requires that prison officials place persons housed under protective status in less restrictive housing within a week or provide damn good reason why they didn’t.
For 68 days, I was denied similar opportunities for activities, etc. I was never offered less restrictive housing. Upon realizing I was being kept under unlawful conditions, I demanded to opt out of solitary confinement only to be held for many more weeks. And I am not alone in this situation.
There were eight of us in the pod with me on protective status. All of us had been in there for many weeks. Two days before our release the prison underwent an audit by DOC HQ. I caught one of the auditors and explained all of this to him. Two days later prison officials released six of us, placing me into housing that somewhat accommodates my healthcare needs.
I don’t know what you can do to shed light on this, but please do what you can. It’s important that the truth of this torture chamber come to light. No one should be forced to endure what I was forced to endure.
