CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. — Several advocates stood before the Board of Juvenile Justice on Friday to voice concerns over the operations of Bon Air Juvenile Correctional Center.
Located in Chesterfield County, it's Virginia's only youth prison which houses up to 270 residents ages 11-20, most of whom have been convicted of high-level offenses.
The Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) is the state agency that runs the facility and its activities. The Board of Juvenile Justice made up of 9 members appointed by governors regulates, monitors, and sets policies for the department.
While community advocates called on the board to investigate what they called unsafe and demoralizing conditions at Bon Air, DJJ's top leader expressed frustration over the allegations which she suggested may not meet her standards of credibility.
Community concerns
Representatives from several groups, including RISE for Youth and the Legal Aid Justice Center, and the parent of a Bon Air resident addressed the board Friday during a public comment period.
Activists directed the board's attention to employee exit interviews from earlier in the year which showed complaints from former workers about staffing shortages and working long hours they didn't agree to.
One employee reported that staffing issues led to "inhumane" lockdowns and "high-security risks" while another employee reported feeling unsafe.
“It’s time to embrace truth and transparency for the sake of our committed youth and staff," said Valerie Slater of RISE for Youth, an organization that supports court-involved children and advocates against youth incarceration. “Don’t ignore these young people’s voices. Don’t ignore these staff voices.”
DJJ officials have said a full lockdown hasn't occurred at Bon Air in over a year, however, residents are temporarily required to stay in their rooms during searches and staffing constraints.
DJJ would not share the current employee vacancy rate but said staffing issues are reflective of national trends.
Department spokesperson Melodie Martin previously told CBS 6 that Bon Air's vacancy rate of juvenile correctional specialists improved by 39% between December 2023 and June 2024.
“Given these accounts, we caution the board to critically examine the workforce challenges," said law student Delaney Toomer who works with Legal Aid Justice Center. "We recognize that staff vacancies align with national trends in both juvenile and adult corrections, but it has disastrous effects on conditions, rehabilitative impact, and morale."
Advocates also pointed to the findings of a January 2024 internal audit which found six violations of state regulations, including deficiencies related to the documentation of security procedures, medication incidents, and room confinement. Bon Air cited staffing shortages as one of the underlying issues of noncompliance and presented a corrective action plan.
Two violations pertained to the failure to document that staff checked on residents locked in confinement at least every 30 minutes and afforded them at least one hour of exercise outside of their rooms per day.
DJJ Certification Manager Ken Bailey told the board he completed a follow-up audit in August to ensure the corrective actions were implemented, and he cleared the facility of five of the six initial deficiencies.
Bailey said the facility continued to be noncompliant with a medication regulation for failing to document actions taken by staff when a resident refuses medication.
In response to the audit, the director extended certification through April 2025 and directed the DJJ medical compliance administrator to monitor the area of noncompliance.
DJJ Director Amy Floriano reminded board members that there's a difference between a lack of documentation of required procedures and whether required procedures did or did not take place.
"In looking at this compliance report, I do want to note this is a documentation issue. It's not that the things didn't happen, it's that they weren't documented properly," Floriano said.
Though it was not cited in Bailey's final audit report, two out of six residents interviewed for the audit reported being denied showers due to lockdowns.
Martin said based on the information provided, there is no evidence to substantiate that claim.
Kathleen Samuelson, a law student who works with the Legal Aid Justice Center, called on the board to look into conflicting information.
"As the board of the Department of Juvenile Justice, it is your responsibility to investigate these discrepancies and ensure the safety and well-being of children at Bon Air who have no one else to protect them," Samuelson said.
A parent's concerns
Quinton Harrell told the board he has a son who's been at Bon Air for over two years and has "thrived" during his time there due to taking advantage of the available learning and enrichment opportunities.
However, Harrell said he supported the comments from RISE for Youth and Legal Aid Justice Center and talked about how he's noticed negative impacts on his son that he believes stemmed from lockdowns.
"What we have experienced in our family therapy that we do with him every other month is that he experienced some depression during the times of the lockdowns," Harrell said.
Harrell added that his son has participated in almost all the educational opportunities offered at Bon Air and asked how he could get enrolled in new classes.
Floriano personally met with Harrell following his remarks to address his questions and explore other class options for the resident.
“If there's a complaint, I'm going to investigate it. I'm going to look into it. I'm going to figure out what's going on. We're going to fix it," Floriano told the board.
DJJ Director "frustrated"
Addressing the at-large concerns about Bon Air that were brought to the board meeting, Floriano said she has to consider the credibility and motives of groups who present allegations.
“Why is this person coming forward with this? Is it a genuine effort, or is it something where they're self-promoting their organization and they're working towards legislation?” Floriano said.
She added that some claims the department receives lack specific details about the incidents in question, limiting the department's ability to investigate.
However, she said the facility has cameras everywhere which are regularly reviewed.
“And I have to say, I get somewhat frustrated because my staff that works in that facility, they're working there for a very low salary in a very difficult job," Floriano said. "My staff that is in there is a very dedicated group of individuals, and they work very hard with these kids, and sometimes they work harder with these kids than the families do at that point. And I think that that is sometimes forgotten in the rapport."
Citing positive outcomes at the facility, such as an increase in completion rates of rehabilitation programs prior to a resident's release, Floriano said she believes DJJ is on the right track.
One board member, Scott Kizner, said he took the advocates' comments with urgency and suggested the idea of an external investigation into the allegations.
"I would think as a director, having a different set of eyes might provide some information to help inform decisions that you would have to make," Kizner told Floriano.
He added, "I don't feel comfortable, personally being on this board, not taking what we heard today and what we've heard before with some level of seriousness."
Floriano responded that DJJ has requested independent investigations before including a security review following the 2020 escape of a resident and an analysis of psychiatric services which is still ongoing.
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
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