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| Officials investigate complaints at women's prison |
| By wtkr.com |
| Published: 11/25/2009 |
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TROY, Va. - Corrections officials are investigating whether inmates are being denied access to religious services at Virginia's largest women's prison, scrutiny partly prompted by earlier allegations that the lockup segregated masculine-looking lesbian prisoners. State Sen. Frank Ruff, R-Mecklenburg, said he was told access to religious services had been curtailed in interviews with dozens of former volunteers at Fluvanna Correctional Center for Women. He asked the Department of Corrections to investigate in June after conducting those interviews and reading a story by The Associated Press about the practice of housing prisoners with masculine appearances in a separate wing. Prisoner rights advocates, inmates and their families say they also have asked the department to investigate changes at the 1,200-inmate prison since Warden Barbara Wheeler took over in 2004 and brought in Major Michael Frame as head of security in 2008. "Fluvanna was recognized certainly regionally if not nationally as being a role-model women's prison," Ruff said in an interview. "That does not appear to be the case at this time." Department director Gene Johnson told Ruff in a July 8 letter he was sending investigators to the prison, but he had the impression things were running smoothly. "I am taking this action not because I believe there has been any misconduct or malfeasance at the facility, indeed all reports I receive would indicate things are operating as they should," Johnson wrote. Department spokesman Larry Traylor said the investigators' report isn't finished and may not be made public. Read More. |
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