CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. — At a Board of Juvenile Justice meeting on Monday, the same months-long concerns surrounding the Bon Air Juvenile Correctional Center seemed to be replayed. Bon Air is Virginia's only youth prison, which houses young people who are convicted of serious crimes, most of which involve violence against another person.
Since October, CBS 6 has reported on critical staffing shortages, extended lockdowns, conditions of confinement, and security issues including repeated reports of residents lighting small fires in their cells. On Friday, news broke that a former correctional officer was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a juvenile resident at the facility in May of 2024.
“We've got to act to ensure that those young people, and even staff members, that where they're living and working, it's a safe environment," attorney and advocate Valerie Slater, of the organization RISE for Youth, said during the board meeting. “And I don't also need to rehearse for you all the incidents that have made the news as of late, and it's unfortunate that I hear even more that is not reported on the news.”
Slater presented board members, who are responsible for setting policies and monitoring the Department of Juvenile Justice's (DJJ) activities, with four complaints that she said were submitted by parents of Bon Air residents.
The identities of the parents were withheld, she said, due to fears of retaliation.
“Please let their voices carry weight with you. Let their needs be heard by you," Slater said.
The complaints alleged that youth were denied access to phones to call home, were locked in their cells for up to 24 hours or more at a time, and were denied showers during those lockdowns.
They went on to claim that there's been a reduction in visitation opportunities due to staffing issues and expressed worries that counseling services have not been fulfilled.
In response to the complaints, DJJ spokesperson Melodie Martin said the agency is "alarmed by the vague allegations, and would like to fully investigate to determine the accuracy." However, she said DJJ “cannot do this based on non-specific hearsay, and again ask RISE for Youth, or anyone who has details, to provide them to us immediately.”
Martin said the agency has repeatedly engaged with Slater's organization in the past but that she has “not provided us with sufficient or specific information or contacts that would allow us to investigate and address such allegations properly and fairly.”
During her remarks to the board, Slater called on members to exercise their authority including establishing and monitoring policies for DJJ programs and facilities. She also called on them to "support an outside investigation in all allegations."
“There is power and duties that are promulgated to you the board," Slater said. "Please use it so that things can change.”
Four board members, out of the six who were physically present at the meeting, responded to Slater's comments — acknowledging the concern and agreeing that the board needs a more comprehensive assessment of the state of Bon Air. Those members were Synethia White, Vice Chair Scott Kizner, William Johnson, and Chair Robert Vilchez.
“We need something a little more in-depth, because we keep getting these concerns," White said. "I'm not siding with anyone, but I do absolutely understand their concern. I would empathize with that, and so I would like to know from staff -- we keep getting these things as a board, what can we do?"
“As a board member and resident of this state, I'm also concerned with what is going on in the Bon Air facility," Vilchez said. "We have seen improvement from DJJ communicating with us and letting us know what's going on in the facility. We have seen significant improvement on that. But now, as a board member, I'm asking, what can we do to prevent this type of behavior that is going on at Bon Air?"
Kizner had previously called for an independent investigation to review the allegations coming out of the facility, but he feels DJJ has "reservations" to that idea.
“I remain a little puzzled why we would be hesitant," he said.
So he repeated his request on Monday.
“I very much would like to know that the young people are taken care of, that they're safe, that the day is structured in a way that doesn't create boredom, because boredom creates mischief," Kizner said. "We don't want an incident where we are saying, ‘Wow, we knew about something, but we chose not to do something.’”
DJJ Director Amy Floriano was not present at Monday's meeting, and no one from the agency was available for an interview, when asked, to discuss board members' remarks.
In a written statement, Martin said the board “has neither made a request, either in writing or through a vote, nor specified parameters for an “investigation” into Bon Air Juvenile Correctional Center.”
DJJ has brought in external reviews before, including a 2024 safety and culture assessment which identified at the time overwhelmed and unsatisfied employees who felt unsafe along with youth experiencing "high levels of idleness and boredom" and an "abundant lack of meaningful engagement."
Kizner said, to his knowledge, that report was not discussed among the board.
“And it seems like we're dismissive when we get a report that says you could do better, and I believe we could do better, but I believe even the best could do better. So we'll see what happens," he said.
DJJ also recently engaged the Department of Planning and Budget to complete an assessment of the facility's psychological services. CBS 6 requested the report through a Freedom of Information Act request, but the department withheld it, citing a public records exemption that protects mandatory disclosure of working papers of the governor.
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
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