In Virginia's Prisons, Hundreds Still Trapped in Solitary Confinement Despite Reforms — and Denials

June 11, 2018July 13, 2018 Katie Rose Quandt

In 2016, the Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC) announced it had significantly reduced its use of solitary confinement, particularly in the state’s two supermax facilities, Red Onion and Wallens Ridge. The reforms were welcome news: Five years earlier, the Washington Post reported that five percent of people in Virginia’s prisons were in solitary, including more […]

At Virginia's Supermax Prisons, Isolation and Abuse Persist Despite Reforms

August 4, 2016August 5, 2016 Katie Rose Quandt and Jack Denton

Red Onion State Prison, a supermax complex in the southwest corner of Virginia near the Kentucky border, has long had a reputation as one of the harshest prisons in the nation. So when in 2011 the Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC) announced it was initiating major reforms at Red Onion and nearby Wallens Ridge State Prison, […]

Solitary Watch

By Jean Casella and James Ridgeway

October 19, 2018

Interfaith Action for Human Rights

In Virginia's Prisons, Hundreds Still Trapped in Solitary Confinement Despite Reforms — and Denials

At Virginia's Supermax Prisons, Isolation and Abuse Persist Despite Reforms