RICHMOND, Va. -- A state lawmaker is joining calls for the Commonwealth to help the Richmond City Jail address challenges related to the safety of staff and inmates.
On Wednesday, an inmate at the Richmond Justice Center, who identified himself as Rashid Holman, called CBS 6 from inside the jail to express fears about the violence he said he witnessed.
“It’s bad. It’s real bad," Holman said. "It's not safe. People are dying."
Holman said he was violently attacked earlier this year by another inmate.
“I was stabbed in the throat and in the face. I got stabbed at least three times, and the guy cut my throat," Holman said.
A jail incident report from February showed an officer found Holman bleeding from his face and another inmate admitted to assaulting him.
Holman said the stabbing sent him to the hospital for weeks before he came back to the jail and was treated in the jail's medical unit.
He said he remains worried for the safety of himself and others due to an alleged lack of oversight from deputies. At times, he said some pods do not have a deputy physically monitoring them.
“[Violence is] happening quite often," Holman said. "Someone’s always getting into a fight or getting stabbed.”
In a November interview, Sheriff Irving told CBS 6 she was down about 160 deputies out of 385 total positions, which means around 41% of deputy roles are not filled. The jail currently has an inmate population of around 600.
For comparison, the Norfolk City Jail is down 35 sworn positions out of 321, according to a public information officer. That's a vacancy rate of 10%. The Norfolk Jail houses 587 inmates currently.
Virginia's Board of Local and Regional Jails has been asked by Richmond Councilwoman Reva Trammell to investigate the jail for compliance with state regulations. The request came after three inmate deaths this year, which included a drug overdose, and multiple reported assaults on deputies.
CBS 6 asked the board how it would respond to the request and has not yet heard back. Per standard protocol, the board is reviewing the circumstances surrounding the jail's inmate deaths.
Irving previously told CBS 6 she did not believe a state investigation is necessary, and she'd rather see local officials focus more on combatting crime in the streets so they don't end up in jail in the first place.
At least one state lawmaker, Senator Joe Morrissey, agreed that the Commonwealth should help the Richmond Sheriff's Office.
“The state needs to step in. It is not just concerning or troubling. It is reaching almost horrific proportions," Morrissey said. “It’s not a bad thing. It doesn't show a weakness, so I fully support the state pouring its resources in to protect the sheriff, her deputies, staff and inmates.”
Morrissey compared the idea to the recently launched "Partnership for Petersburg" in which Governor Youngkin directed state resources to help the City of Petersburg address challenges in law enforcement, education, health and more.
He added he believes the sheriff's office should be forthcoming with information pertaining to deaths, assaults and overdoses.
Irving's office has not yet provided data about assaults within the jail, charges against inmates and overtime pay that was requested through the Freedom of Information Act. The sheriff's office said it would charge CBS 6 more than $1,000 to provide answers.
"There should be absolute full 100% transparency," Morrissey said. "That facility is a municipal facility. You could call it the people's jail. The people that work there, including the constitutional officer, the sheriff, have a fiduciary duty to give you everything that you request."
Morrissey said a big-picture idea to make all Virginia jails safer is for lawmakers to assist local facilities in helping inmates who come in with drug addiction. He said many local jails lack the support to meet a growing need.
"The underlying element is that they are addicted to opioids, and that's causing them to have withdrawals, and in some cases, die. That's the route where we immediately have to put resources to help people go through a detox process," Morrissey said. "It's something that needs drastic addressing right now."
A failure to provide safe and secure jails, he said, is unacceptable.
“Because somebody has committed a crime, doesn’t mean they lose all human dignity and that they shouldn’t be treated with respect when they’re in jail," he said.
UPDATE:
On December 21, Sheriff Irving provided the following statements in response to the incident involving Holman and concerns about the monitoring of inmates:
"Thank you for your inquiry, and we appreciate your patience while we review the information surrounding this incident. Below is the response from the Richmond City Sheriff’s Office.
This particular incident was immediately investigated and discussed with the victim. It appears that you have spoken with the victim, and he has discussed this matter with you giving you the details he determined necessary at this time. We, too, have spoken with the victim; however, we are unable to provide any further details at this time as it is an open case.
Anytime there is an incident, all parties are kept separate and the victim is monitored by both medical and security staff. An investigation is conducted with the cooperation of the victim. The victim is a part of the decision making to pursue criminal charges at the time of the incident or with their personal attorney or may request such at a future time with our office. After which, charges are presented to the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney. This matter has been and is still under investigation as the victim is now a cooperative witness.
As required by Virginia DOC, we are currently making rounds within the pods and housing units, as well as, throughout the facility both in a linear and direct supervision format to ensure all areas are monitored through security checks and inspections. Those areas with high profile residents and of higher risk for incidents are monitored closely to reduce the risks of any incidents. There are continuous shakedowns and searches taking place. We have purchased full body scanners, building scanners, and additional hand held scanners to reduce the introduction of contraband entering into housing units and the facility. We have also provided additional training sessions to staff members. As the violence increases outside of the facility in the neighborhoods and in the different communities, it filters into our facility.
Currently, we are staff challenged as are other jurisdictions; as a result, we review daily staffing needs throughout the office and assign staff as needed to assist with any such challenges in any section."
