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About Us

About Us

About

The Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC) is the largest state agency with more than 11,000 employees across the Commonwealth. We operate secure facilities and probation and parole offices to provide care and supervision for inmates under state custody.

Virginia currently has the nation's second-lowest recidivism rate at 20.6 percent.

Mission

We are in the business of helping people to be better by safely providing effective incarceration, supervision, and evidence-based re-entry services to inmates and supervisees.

Vision

A premier correctional organization where all individuals achieve their full potential.

Values

Citizenship. Commitment. Communication. Ethics. Honesty. Learning. Safety. Support.

Executive Staff

  • Chadwick S. Dotson

    Chadwick S. Dotson, Director

    Judge (ret.) Chadwick Dotson received his B.A. from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA, and his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C. After a short stint in private practice, Dotson was elected in 2003 as the Commonwealth’s Attorney for Wise County and the City of Norton. While serving as Commonwealth’s Attorney, he was appointed as a Special Assistant United States Attorney for the Western District of Virginia.

    In 2007, Dotson was elected by the Virginia General Assembly to the General District Court bench, and he was elevated to the Circuit Court bench in 2011 (and reappointed in 2019). He served as the Chief Judge of the 30th Judicial Circuit and presided over the Circuit’s Recovery Court program for the entirety of his tenure on the Circuit bench. In addition, Judge Dotson served a term on the State Drug Court Advisory Board, appointed by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia.

    After retiring from the bench, Dotson served as Dean of Students and Distinguished Professor of Law at the Appalachian School of Law where he taught constitutional law, criminal law, and criminal procedure. In 2022, Governor Glenn Youngkin appointed Dotson to serve as the Chairman of the Virginia Parole Board (VPB). He served as the agency head of VPB until September 2023, when the Governor appointed him as the Director of the Virginia Department of Corrections.

  • A. David Robinson

    A. David Robinson, Chief of Corrections Operations

    A. David Robinson leads the operations of the VADOC’s facilities and parole and probation offices throughout the state. He has served more than 30 years with the Virginia Department of Corrections, working his way up from line-level staff to warden. In 2006, he was promoted to eastern regional director for operations, and in 2011 was appointed chief of corrections operations. He received his bachelor’s degree in 1982 and his master’s degree in 1989 from Virginia Commonwealth University.

  • Joseph Walters

    Joseph Walters, Deputy Director, Administration

    Joseph W. Walters leads the administrative functions of the VADOC in support of the agency’s public safety mission. Walters began his public safety career more than 30 years ago as a local law enforcement officer in Martinsville, Virginia. In 1993, he joined the Virginia State Police as a state trooper, rising to the rank of captain and division commander. In 2015, Walters joined the VADOC to serve as the agency’s human resources director. In 2018, he was selected to serve as deputy director for administration. He earned his B.S. from Averett College and his M.P.A. from Virginia Tech.

  • Scott Richeson

    Scott Richeson, Deputy Director of Programs, Education, and Re-entry

    Scott Richeson directs the VADOC’s business practices regarding inmate programming and re-entry services that reduce recidivism. This includes substance abuse, education, mental health, victim services, and core correctional practices. She has more than 35 years of experience in the corrections field with a background in community corrections and prisons. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Administration of Justice and Public Safety and a master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling.

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