Prison staffers considered charging inmates who burned themselves ‘thousands’
Staffers at Red Onion State Prison in Virginia weighed whether to charge the inmates “thousands of dollars for the hospital and medical treatment,” according to emails obtained through a public records request.
After six inmates partially burned themselves last year to call out what they say are “intolerable” conditions at a Virginia maximum security prison, staffers weighed whether to charge the inmates “thousands of dollars for the hospital and medical treatment,” according to emails obtained through a public records request by The Appeal, an outlet that covers the criminal legal system.
In the messages, which the nonprofit news organization published Wednesday, Red Onion State Prison’s chief of security suggested charging the inmates for their care after the burns, while an assistant warden suggested prosecuting them for setting fires in their cells, adding that they could be charged for their hospital visits if they are convicted for the self-injuries.
“It should be noted that restitution, including the payment of medical expenses, is an authorized penalty allowed by VADOC policy,” Kyle Gibson, director of communications for the Virginia Department of Corrections, said in an email to NBC News. “In these cases, hearing officers did not deem restitution as an appropriate penalty, and such a penalty has never been considered as a possible response by VADOC senior leadership.” The inmates did receive disciplinary charges, he added.
The six prisoners who harmed themselves last year with electrical burns and other people incarcerated at Red Onion said they have experienced excessive stints in solitary confinement, have been denied necessary medication or have experienced physical torture by correctional officers, according to attorneys for people incarcerated there, a group of state lawmakers and prison reform advocates.
After he visited Red Onion on Dec. 30, Virginia Del. Michael Jones said that he saw an inmate with injuries from being attacked by a prison dog and that he received numerous complaints from other inmates about food quality, medical care and racism.
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