Several Democratic state lawmakers in Virginia are calling for further scrutiny into a recent report highlighting hypothermia hospitalizations and poor conditions at the Marion Correctional Treatment Center. The report found at least 13 hospitalizations for hypothermia over three years, with medical providers expressing concern about temperatures at the prison. Democratic lawmakers have pledged to press the governor’s administration for answers and have called for the newly created prisons watchdog to investigate these findings. The Virginia Department of Corrections has declined to provide answers to the Associated Press, citing pending litigation over an inmate’s death that has focused in part on allegations of poor conditions.
Sen. L. Louise Lucas and Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell expressed deep concern over the reported conditions, with Surovell describing them as more resembling a Soviet gulag than a prison in America. Lawmakers are seeking answers from DOC leadership and suggesting that the Office of the Department of Corrections Ombudsman look into the temperature- and hypothermia-related concerns. Questions about conditions at the Marion facility arose after a lawsuit over an inmate’s death and a special grand jury concluded that conditions at the prison were “inhumane and deplorable.” An attorney for the deceased inmate’s sister declined to comment on lawmakers’ remarks, citing pending litigation.
Youngkin’s press secretary called the AP report’s findings “incredibly troubling” and confirmed that no one has been treated for hypothermia at the Marion prison since 2021. The administration has stated that the Department will fully cooperate with any inquiries from the Corrections Ombudsman. Lawmakers passed and Youngkin approved a measure earlier this year setting up the ombudsman’s office to provide independent oversight of the agency. Democratic lawmakers, sponsors of the ombudsman bill, believe the findings warrant the office’s attention and say they plan to send formal inquiries to top DOC officials.
The ombudsman’s office will consist of six employees, including an ombudsman and five specialists. Democratic lawmakers, including Sen. Dave Marsden and Del. Holly Seibold, expressed outrage at the AP’s findings and plan to request more information from the head of the DOC. Marsden, who has spent much of his career working in corrections, believes that inmates’ complaints, while often exaggerated, raise serious concerns that the ombudsman’s office should address. Seibold, who has focused on prison reform legislation, also plans to question DOC officials in a legislative forum. GOP lawmakers whose districts include the prison did not respond to requests for comment.
The Virginia lawmakers’ calls for further scrutiny into the hypothermia hospitalizations and poor conditions at the Marion Correctional Treatment Center highlight concerns over the treatment of inmates and the oversight of the Department of Corrections. Democratic lawmakers are seeking answers from the governor’s administration and advocating for the newly created Office of the Department of Corrections Ombudsman to investigate the reported conditions. The findings of the AP report have raised alarm among lawmakers, who describe the conditions at the prison as inhumane and disturbing. As the ombudsman’s office prepares to provide independent oversight of the DOC, lawmakers are pushing for greater transparency and accountability within the state’s prison system.
