Mississippi Courthouse Gets Green Light on Big Revamp
A plan proposed by the General Services Administration (GSA) to renovate the Thomas G. Abernethy Courthouse in Aberdeen was recently approved by Congress.
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Officials Discuss Efforts to Renovate Mississippi Jail
Following a number of failed attempts to renovate the Lee County Jail in Mississippi, county leaders are again exploring options to overhaul the jail.
Read moreHancock County Officials Allocate $700,000 for Courthouse Security Upgrades
WLOX reports that Hancock County has allocated over $700,000 for security upgrades at the courthouse.
Read moreNew River Valley Regional Jail Installs the Largest Solar Thermal System in Virginia
DUBLIN, Va. — The largest solar thermal system in the Commonwealth of Virginia has been installed at the New River Valley Regional Jail (NRVRJ), which serves the counties of Bland, Carroll, Floyd, Giles, Grayson, Pulaski, Wythe, and the City of Radford.
Facility of the Month: Virginia’s Silver
The new Amherst County Adult Detention Center is the Blue Ridge Regional Jail Authority’s first LEED Silver certified facility
With Virginia’s inmate population expected to grow over the next decade and with its current jails overcrowded, construction of the new Amherst County Adult Detention Center (ACADC) made perfect “cents.”
Read morePrison Could See New Life as Civil Commitment Facility
LAWRENCEVILLE, Va.
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Virginia to Close Oldest Prison
STATE FARM, Va. — The Virginia Department of Corrections announced this week that it will close the James River Correctional Center in Goochland County on April 1.
The closure of the state’s oldest prison, which opened in 1896, comes as the department grapples with $10.9 million in funding cuts for fiscal 2012.
James River’s 450 inmates will be moved to other prisons that have space, as well as to county jails.
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Virginia Prison Sits Empty
INDEPENDENCE, Va. — Virginia’s newest prison, a 1,024-bed facility in Grayson County located just east of Independence, sits empty, four months after completion.
The $105 million prison is empty due to a statewide decline in the inmate population and a reduction in state funding to lock up offenders. The declining numbers are a first in recent memory for Virginia, which has seen its inmate population double since 1995, when the General Assembly voted to abolish parole in favor of building additional prison facilities.
Read moreVa. Prison to Get Videophones for Deaf Inmates
STATE FARM, Va. — The Powhatan Correctional Center in State Farm will become the first major prison in the United States to install videophones to enable deaf inmates to communicate with family and friends. The move is part of a recent lawsuit settlement.
Deaf inmates sued the Virginia Department of Corrections last January, accusing it of discrimination. The group says videophones will allow them to reach out to family that they had not been able to communicate with for some time.
Read moreClarke to Lead Virginia DOC
RICHMOND, Va. — Harold Clarke has been named as director of the Virginia Department of Corrections. 
Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell appointed Clarke, who has served as a commissioner with Massachusetts’ corrections system since 2007. Clarke will oversee a system with 32,000 inmates in 44 prisons and more than 11,500 employees. Clarke succeeds Virginia DOC director Gene Johnson.
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