Courtroom paperwork revealed staffers at Virginia’s Pink Onion State Jail thought of charging inmates who burned themselves whereas staging protests of the “insupportable” circumstances they face, The Attraction studies.
Six inmates allegedly deliberately burned themselves throughout the 2023 protests, and based on emails, staffers on the most safety jail thought of charging the inmates “1000’s of {dollars} for the hospital and medical therapy,” whereas assistant warden Dwayne Turner advisable prosecuting them for setting fires of their cells.
“I consider on Monday, we pull coverage and begin charging the inmates 1000’s of {dollars} for the hospital and medical therapy,” one officer wrote. “As soon as we iron by this, we are able to ship the phrase by the inmate inhabitants that they’re going to be modified [sic] 1000’s for his or her medical as a result of intentional manipulation. Simply my ideas on how you can stop this type of habits.”
Turner responded with, “Yeah, sounds good. However the very first thing we have to work out is why. Do they assume they may get transferred? In that case, we’d like to ensure they don’t…. clearly, they assume they’ll acquire one thing from doing that. We’d like to ensure they know they received’t acquire something….however making them pay cash is nice too[.]”
The six listed inmates, together with others, allege being denied essential remedy and affected by bodily torture by correctional officers. Virginia Del. Michael Jones stated throughout a go to to Pink Onion, he witnessed accidents on an inmate obtained from a jail canine assault, based on NBC Information. Jones additionally claimed he acquired various complaints from different inmates concerning the standard of meals, medical care and racism.
Lengthy bouts in solitary confinement are one of many primary complaints heard by the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia. Former inmate Kenneth Hunter, who was sentenced to 23 years in jail for a nonviolent drug offense at 21, stated he spent his first yr at Pink Onion in solitary confinement. Previous to his sentence ending in 2021, Hunter stated there have been loads of “cases of bodily abuse and extreme pressure.”
Ekong Eshiet, one of many prisoners who, in an electronic mail to Natasha White, director of group engagement at Interfaith Motion for Human Rights, admitted to setting his leg on hearth and sustaining burns, stated he skilled abuse as soon as he returned from the hospital.
“Plz be notified that I set my leg on hearth 09/15/24, went to VCU 09/18/24 and got here again to ROSP 09/24/24,” he wrote within the message. “Since I’ve come again, I’ve confronted retaliation and discrimination as a result of my complaints about all of the crookedness I and different inmates repeatedly have handled up right here.”
The Commonwealth’s Lawyer for Clever County and the Metropolis of Norton, Virginia, Brett Corridor, stated no resolution has been made concerning any prices.
“Now we have a terrific working relationship with the Virginia Division of Corrections (VADOC) and can proceed to take action,” he wrote. “These issues, identical to any others, take time and require intensive assessment of the details and the regulation.”
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