News & Press Releases
February 20, 2020
In January 2018, the Virginia Department of Corrections launched a comprehensive program to reduce the placement of offenders into restrictive housing and the cycling of offenders in and out of restrictive housing. Part of the program included the expansion of what... Read More
February 19, 2020
RICHMOND — The Virginia Department of Corrections is replacing all cell doors at Sussex I and Sussex II state prisons. Existing doors are not closing properly due to inmates jamming them. This construction project will start in approximately 60 days and is estimated to take ... Read More
February 03, 2020
RICHMOND — For the fourth consecutive year, Virginia has the lowest recidivism rate in the country. The newly announced rate of 23.1 percent is down slightly from last year, when Virginia posted a rate of 23.4 percent. For the first time since Virginia topped the list for th... Read More
January 07, 2020
For Robert Yarborough, opportunity means a chance to return to Roanoke, Virginia with training and employable skills to help him become a journeyman electrician. For William Gutersloh, opportunity means helping men like Yarborough navigate the courses and earn pot... Read More
February 20, 2020
In January 2018, the Virginia Department of Corrections launched a comprehensive program to reduce the placement of offenders into restrictive housing and the cycling of ... Read More
February 19, 2020
RICHMOND — The Virginia Department of Corrections is replacing all cell doors at Sussex I and Sussex II state prisons. Existing doors are not closing properly due to inmates jamming... Read More
February 12, 2020
RICHMOND — At approximately 6:10 p.m. today, a Sussex II State Prison inmate was pronounced dead at Virginia Commonwealth University Hospital in Richmond, Virginia. The offender had... Read More
February 03, 2020
RICHMOND — For the fourth consecutive year, Virginia has the lowest recidivism rate in the country. The newly announced rate of 23.1 percent is down slightly from last year, when Vi... Read More
January 07, 2020
For Robert Yarborough, opportunity means a chance to return to Roanoke, Virginia with training and employable skills to help him become a journeyman electrician. For Wil... Read More
December 17, 2019
In the middle of the second day of Indian Creek Correctional Center’s (ICCC) three-day Job and Resource Fair, the local community college representative is talking about ... Read More
December 05, 2019
On the Saturday before Thanksgiving, hundreds lined up in front of the church at 2200 Fairfax Avenue in Richmond. They had come to the Redeemed Assembly of Jesus Christ C... Read More
November 26, 2019
The Motorcycle Repair course at Pocahontas State Correctional Center allows participants to engage in daily hands-on training inside a shop equipped with the tools to tac... Read More
November 22, 2019
As part of its continuing efforts to improve gender responsivity, the Virginia Department of Corrections recently hosted two nationally recognized experts on the developm... Read More
November 21, 2019
RICHMOND — Virginia Department of Corrections Director Harold Clarke is a 2019 recipient of the Clements Award, presented by the national Correctional Leaders Association (CLA). Cla... Read More
November 18, 2019
Haynesville Correctional Center held its annual graduation October 25, honoring 105 graduates including 17 who received Associate of Arts degrees from Rappahannock Commun... Read More
November 08, 2019
November 05, 2019
Instructor Robert “Ant” Fauntleroy has taught the Barbering Program at Haynesville Correctional Center since 1993. Under his tutelage, more than 600 men have earned state... Read More
October 11, 2019
RICHMOND — The Virginia Department of Corrections today released a report on the state of restrictive housing for inmates in the Commonwealth’s correctional facilities. Virginia ha... Read More
October 09, 2019
RICHMOND — A Virginia Department of Corrections officer who intervened in a potentially fatal inmate attack on a fellow correctional officer has received the Governor’s Honor Award ... Read More
October 01, 2019
Virginia members of the National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice recently received three of seven major awards given annually by the organization. The NABCJ hel... Read More
September 30, 2019
The Virginia Department of Corrections prohibits offenders from wearing neckties during normal day-to-day operations. For special events such as graduations, however, exc... Read More
September 26, 2019
Virginia Correctional Enterprises (VCE) hosted the 2019 Southeastern Region National Correctional Industries Association (SECIA) Training Conference in mid-September, put... Read More
September 19, 2019
RICHMOND — The Virginia Department of Corrections yesterday received a Governor’s Honor Award for diversifying its energy sources by planning and building a solar farm at Haynesvill... Read More
September 17, 2019
RICHMOND — The Virginia Department of Corrections is embarking on an ambitious new plan to make the state prison system more responsive to the needs of female offenders. From trauma... Read More
September 03, 2019
RICHMOND — The Virginia Department of Corrections today announced plans to combat the introduction of contraband into the state’s prisons and enhance efforts to help offenders succe... Read More
August 23, 2019
A local employer attended a career resource seminar held last spring at Buckingham Correctional Center. So impressed by the offenders he met, Casey Carwile of Design Elec... Read More
August 21, 2019
RICHMOND — At 6:50 p.m., Sussex I State Prison offender Pakastan Algier Gary was pronounced dead at Southside Regional Medical Center. At approximately 10:33 this morning, the 45-y... Read More
August 21, 2019
RICHMOND — At approximately 10:33 this morning, a 45-year old Sussex I State Prison offender sustained life-threatening injuries in an apparent offender-on-offender fight. An in-ce... Read More
July 21, 2019
RICHMOND — With temperatures reaching triple digits in the Commonwealth this weekend, the Virginia Department of Corrections has protocols in place to protect offenders and staff in... Read More
July 21, 2019
RICHMOND — This week the Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC) is celebrating the efforts of its probation and parole officers, men and women who foster the safety of all Virgi... Read More
June 26, 2019
RICHMOND — More than two dozen Virginia Department of Corrections employees will be among the volunteers this weekend offering support for the Remote Area Medical event in Wise. Or... Read More
June 21, 2019
HANOVER COUNTY — For two men who served time in prison, the road to reentry led them to White Oak Farm on Ash Cake Road in Hanover County. Watch the full story here: Richard Bartole a... Read More
June 19, 2019
RICHMOND — The Haynesville Correctional Center inmates who were sent to local hospitals Saturday evening as a result of suspected overdoses at the prison have all been released. On... Read More
June 16, 2019
RICHMOND — Six of the eight offenders at Haynesville Correctional Center suspected of having overdosed yesterday have been released from the hospital. Five of the offenders were se... Read More
June 15, 2019
RICHMOND — Eight offenders at Haynesville Correctional Center are suspected of having overdosed this evening. The overdoses were discovered around 7:15 p.m. One of the eight offend... Read More
May 07, 2019
RICHMOND — Governor Ralph Northam has proclaimed May 5–11, 2019 as Correctional Officers’ Week in Virginia, which honors and acknowledges the men and women who serve as correctional... Read More
May 07, 2019
RICHMOND — A male offender in the custody of the Virginia Department of Corrections who walked away from a work unit yesterday has been apprehended. Offender Jason Michael Day was ... Read More
May 06, 2019
RICHMOND — At approximately 10 a.m. this morning, a male offender in the custody of the Virginia Department of Corrections walked away from a greenhouse work unit at Nottoway Work C... Read More
April 10, 2019
RICHMOND — The Department of Corrections is thanking its volunteers this week as it celebrates National Volunteer Week. From helping offenders create art to offering tips on financi... Read More
April 08, 2019
RICHMOND — The Virginia Department of Corrections’ Victim Services Unit is recognizing National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, April 7-13, emphasizing the theme, “Honoring the Past. Cr... Read More
February 21, 2019
RICHMOND — The Virginia Department of Corrections will receive a 2019 Excellence in Government Award recognizing two public-private partnerships that have the same goal: training of... Read More
January 10, 2019
RICHMOND — Governor Ralph Northam announced during last night’s State of the Commonwealth address that for the third year in a row, Virginia’s re-incarceration rate is the lowest in... Read More
December 20, 2018
RICHMOND — As the Virginia Department of Corrections continues its groundbreaking reforms in the use of restrictive housing for the state’s inmates, a report released today by the V... Read More
December 02, 2018
RICHMOND — Just past 6:30 this morning, two officers at Red Onion State Prison were attacked by an inmate at the Pound, Virginia facility. One officer received puncture wounds to hi... Read More
November 19, 2018
RICHMOND — The Virginia Department of Corrections is launching a new project aimed at improving services for incarcerated parents and their minor children. The Building Family Bridg... Read More
November 06, 2018
October 29, 2018
RICHMOND — A United States Magistrate Judge has recommended that the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia find in favor of Red Onion State Prison employees in a ... Read More
October 25, 2018
RICHMOND — At approximately 3:55 p.m. yesterday, a Sussex I State Prison offender injured a Corrections Officer at the Waverly, Virginia facility. The 32-year old male officer sust... Read More
October 12, 2018
RICHMOND — The United States Department of Agriculture has awarded the Virginia Department of Corrections $88,700 in technical assistance grant funding through their waste managemen... Read More
July 27, 2018
RICHMOND — Doing its part to help tackle the opioid crisis, the Virginia Department of Corrections has launched a medically assisted drug treatment pilot program to help offenders a... Read More
July 23, 2018
RICHMOND — More than two dozen Virginia Department of Corrections employees from Wallens Ridge State Prison and Wise Correctional Unit volunteered this weekend at the 18th annual Re... Read More
July 15, 2018
RICHMOND — As the Virginia Department of Corrections acknowledges Pretrial, Probation and Parole Officers’ Week, July 15–21, it does so holding the lowest recidivism rate in the nat... Read More
May 18, 2018
RICHMOND — At approximately 2:45 p.m. today, a Wallens Ridge State Prison inmate was pronounced dead at Lonesome Pine Hospital in Big Stone Gap, Virginia. An inmate-on-inmate in-cel... Read More
May 10, 2018
RICHMOND — When it comes to state prisons, Virginia stands out for operating a corrections system without the use of solitary confinement. As states around the country grapple with ... Read More
May 06, 2018
RICHMOND — As the Virginia Department of Corrections celebrates Correctional Officers’ Week from May 6-12, it does so with the lowest recidivism rate in the nation for the second ye... Read More
April 08, 2018
RICHMOND — This week, the Virginia Department of Corrections Victim Services Unit will be conducting activities to recognize National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. The Victim Service... Read More
December 19, 2017
RICHMOND — Harold W. Clarke, head of the Virginia Department of Corrections, has been re-appointed by Governor-elect Ralph Northam to lead the agency for a third term. Today at Fir... Read More
November 20, 2017
RICHMOND — For the second year in a row, the Virginia Energy Efficiency Council has recognized the Department of Corrections for its leadership in energy efficiency. During ceremon... Read More
November 09, 2017
RICHMOND — As America pauses Saturday to remember those who served our country in uniform, the Virginia Department of Corrections would like to remind our veterans that it offers em... Read More
July 17, 2017
RICHMOND — The annual celebration of Probation and Parole Officers’ Week, July 16-22, 2017, holds special meaning this year as the Virginia Department of Corrections commemorates th... Read More
May 07, 2017
RICHMOND — As the Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC) celebrates Correctional Officers’ Week May 7-13, it does so holding the nation’s lowest recidivism rate. “Our success i... Read More
May 01, 2017
RICHMOND — The National Governors Association (NGA) has selected Virginia and seven other states to participate in a learning lab designed to develop strategies to expand access to ... Read More
April 03, 2017
RICHMOND — This week, the Virginia Department of Corrections is recognizing Crime Victims’ Rights Week. The Victim Services Unit (VSU) of the Department of Corrections provides not... Read More
March 28, 2017
RICHMOND — Since January 2014, Virginia Department of Corrections offenders have amassed more than 1,500 course completions in an award-winning college credit initiative. Offenders... Read More
February 14, 2017
RICHMOND — Virginia Department of Corrections Director Harold Clarke and Ambassador Williams R. Brownfield, Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of International Narcotics an... Read More
February 13, 2017
January 04, 2017
RICHMOND — Virginia is one of five states recently added to the list of participants in the Safe Alternatives to Segregation Initiative facilitated by the Vera Institute of Justice.... Read More
December 19, 2016
RICHMOND — The Virginia Department of Corrections took top honors in the first ever Virginia Energy Efficiency Leadership Awards. The Virginia Energy Efficiency Council (VAEEC) hon... Read More
December 12, 2016
December 08, 2016
RICHMOND — The head of the Virginia Department of Corrections has been appointed to a prestigious national group of public and private sector fellows who make a lifetime commitment ... Read More
December 05, 2016
RICHMOND — At 2.8 percent, the percentage of offenders in restrictive housing in Virginia prisons is among the lowest in the United States. A report released on November 30 by the ... Read More
November 10, 2016
RICHMOND — As we celebrate Veterans Day, the Virginia Department of Corrections is proud to announce it has received two prestigious honors for leadership and commitment in hiring m... Read More
September 13, 2016
RICHMOND — The Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC) has received a statewide technology award for developing a robust reporting application designed to improve the agency’s K-... Read More
August 09, 2016
RICHMOND — All 78 offenders from the Southampton Men’s Detention Center in Capron were moved on Friday to the Cold Springs Detention Center in Greenville after an engineer said the ... Read More
July 20, 2016
RICHMOND — Governor Terry McAuliffe today announced that Virginia has received national recognition for an educational effort that allows offenders in Virginia’s prisons to be eligi... Read More
July 18, 2016
RICHMOND — Probation and parole officers work quietly behind the scenes in our communities, playing a critical role every day in Virginia’s public safety efforts. The Virginia Dep... Read More
July 07, 2016
RICHMOND — St. Brides Correctional Center in Chesapeake, Virginia, is using solar energy to preheat ground water entering its buildings, thus significantly reducing the facility’s r... Read More
June 30, 2016
RICHMOND — Thirty-two probationers and parolees are realizing the consequences of their illegal drug use today as a result of an unannounced drug-testing effort - Operation Conseque... Read More
June 01, 2016
RICHMOND — Each year in Virginia, about 13,000 people are released from correctional institutions back into the community. A key component to successful offender reentry and a reduc... Read More
May 02, 2016
RICHMOND — The men and women who serve as correctional officers for the Virginia Department of Corrections play a vital role in the successful reentry of offenders into our communit... Read More
April 11, 2016
RICHMOND — The Virginia Department of Corrections this week is holding events to recognize Crime Victims’ Rights Week, which runs April 10 through April 16. The Victim Services Unit... Read More
March 17, 2016
RICHMOND — Governor Terry McAuliffe has announced that offenders in Virginia’s prisons will now be eligible for college credit for five career and technical education courses recomm... Read More
March 03, 2016
RICHMOND — Virginia’s efforts to help inmates in the state’s highest security prisons move out of long term restrictive housing have been recognized by the U.S. Department of Justic... Read More
December 23, 2015
RICHMOND — Governor Terry McAuliffe today announced that offenders in Virginia’s prisons can now stay in touch with loved ones by way of some of the lowest phone call rates in the c... Read More
November 09, 2015
RICHMOND — As America celebrates its veterans this week, the Virginia Department of Corrections wants those men and women who have served our country to know their skills are needed... Read More
October 23, 2015
RICHMOND — Communication between incarcerated offenders and their families and friends is an important step in the reentry process. To that end, the Virginia Department of Correctio... Read More
September 09, 2015
RICHMOND — Across the nation, from state houses to kitchen tables, a conversation is brewing about the number of people America incarcerates, how those people are treated once they’... Read More
July 12, 2015
RICHMOND — Virginia’s Probation and Parole officers play a critical role in keeping our communities safe. Their dedication will be honored this week, which is Probation & Parole... Read More
May 04, 2015
RICHMOND — Virginia’s correctional officers play a critical role in keeping correctional facilities safe and promoting offenders’ successful reentry into our communities after they’... Read More
April 22, 2015
RICHMOND — As Virginians around the Commonwealth celebrate Earth Day, the Virginia Department of Corrections continues to position itself as a statewide leader in recycling efforts.... Read More
April 20, 2015
RICHMOND — The Virginia Department of Corrections this week is holding events to recognize Crime Victims’ Rights Week, which runs April 19 through April 25. This year, Virginia mark... Read More
April 06, 2015
RICHMOND — A wellness program initially targeted to older Virginians is helping offenders at five Virginia correctional facilities learn to manage their chronic diseases and improve... Read More
March 19, 2015
RICHMOND — Vocational students at Green Rock Correctional Center have found something they have in common with some of our nation’s Founding Fathers – an aptitude for surveying. S... Read More
February 19, 2015
RICHMOND — The Virginia Department of Corrections has undergone a major cultural shift in recent years, transforming into a research-based organization aggressively focused on offen... Read More
January 14, 2015
RICHMOND — Prison officials credit the Virginia Department of Corrections’ emphasis on reentry for the recent success of two former offenders who found jobs within days of their rel... Read More
October 30, 2014
RICHMOND — Virginia Department of Corrections Director Harold Clarke has announced this year’s plans to monitor sex offenders under probation and parole supervision throughout the C... Read More
September 18, 2014
RICHMOND — Looking to train incarcerated offenders in an area of need for many Commonwealth communities, a new Virginia Department of Corrections program allows offenders to get cer... Read More
August 18, 2014
RICHMOND — The Virginia Department of Corrections is leasing cutting-edge farm equipment from John Deere through an agreement that will greatly enhance the Department’s cost-saving ... Read More
July 14, 2014
RICHMOND — Probation and parole officers are in our communities every day working hard to make Virginia a safer place to live. Their dedication to public safety will be honored this... Read More
July 08, 2014
RICHMOND — The Virginia Department of Corrections has completed an emergency procurement process to find a new, interim health care services provider for incarcerated offenders. The... Read More
June 27, 2014
RICHMOND — Governor Terry McAuliffe today announced that Virginia’s re-incarceration rate has dropped to 22.8 percent, the state’s lowest rate on record. “Long-term public safety i... Read More
June 09, 2014
RICHMOND — The Virginia Department of Corrections is the first state corrections department in the country to obtain full compliance of an adult prison facility under the Prison Rap... Read More
June 05, 2014
RICHMOND — This World Environment Day, the Virginia Department of Corrections joins those taking stock of their environmental impact. The Department of Corrections began composting ... Read More
June 03, 2014
RICHMOND — The Virginia Department of Corrections received notice yesterday from Corizon Health, Inc. that the Brentwood, Tennessee-based correctional health care services provider ... Read More
May 07, 2014
RICHMOND — In any environment, nursing is a challenging profession. Being a nurse in a correctional setting requires a host of skills beyond those required in a hospital or other nu... Read More
May 06, 2014
RICHMOND — When we think of teachers, we usually picture schools teaming with children or ivory covered campuses, but teachers are also hard at work in the state’s prisons. Approxim... Read More
May 05, 2014
RICHMOND — Correctional officers in Virginia’s prison system work hard every day to make Virginia a safer place to live. Their dedication to public safety will be honored May 4–10, ... Read More
April 22, 2014
RICHMOND — This Earth Day, the Virginia Department of Corrections is celebrating the preservation of approximately 3,000 acres at four state prison facilities. Director Harold Clark... Read More
April 06, 2014
RICHMOND — The Virginia Department of Corrections is holding events to recognize Crime Victims’ Rights Week April 6-12. The theme for the 2014 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, w... Read More
April 03, 2014
RICHMOND — Approximately 160 Virginia Department of Corrections offenders are training and working with Virginia Department of Forestry and U.S. Forest Service firefighters in the w... Read More
February 20, 2014
RICHMOND — The Virginia Department of Corrections announced today that the drug Midazolam will be added to its list of lethal injection drugs approved for use in conducting state ex... Read More
February 03, 2014
RICHMOND — While she was serving time in prison, a training program opened up a new world for Alexandria’s Deborah Adams. Today she’s helping open the world for others after learnin... Read More