Virginia DOC Earns STAR Award for Prison College Credit Program

RICHMOND, Va. — The Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC) received the State Transformation in Action (STAR) Award for its educational program that allows detainees in Virginia’s prisons to be eligible for college credit after taking any of the five career and technical education (CTE) courses recommended by the American Council on Education’s College Credit Recommendation Service (ACE CREDIT). The Council of State Governments’ Southern Legislative Conference (SLC) presented the award during its annual meeting in Kentucky on July 13.

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VADOC Continues Department-Wide Recycling Efforts

RICHMOND, Va. — The Virginia Department of Corrections released a statement last week on Earth Day about its continued recycling efforts since 2012, positioning itself as a statewide leader in recycling. In 2014, the department collected 1,100 tons of cardboard, paper, plastic, aluminum, tin and stretch film among its various facilities.

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Virginia DOC Preserves 3,000 Acres for Earth Day

RICHMOND, Va. — In honor of Earth Day last week, the Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC) announced that it would preserve about 3,000 acres of land at four state prison facilities, restricting any future development of the acreage.

The preserved acreage was divided up as follows:
Greensville Correctional Center in Jarrett: 428 acres
Deep Meadow Correctional Center (a portion of the old James River property) in Goochland County: 570 acres

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VADOC Opens New Facility

INDEPENDENCE, Va. — Inmates started moving into River North Correctional Center in early October in Independence after the facility opened as the state’s first new prison since 2007. The Security Level IV facility will house around 1,000 offenders.

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