ARLINGTON, VIRGINA –  The Virginia Coalition on Solitary Confinement released its report on the state of solitary confinement in Virginia prisons on December 1, 2022.  The report, “Behind Prison Walls: Why We Must Eliminate Prolonged Isolation in Our Prisons” is the coalition’s study of solitary confinement pursuant to Senate Bill 108 of the Virginia General Assembly requiring the Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC) to conduct a study of how to safely limit the use of restrictive housing, also known as solitary confinement.  An initial effort was made by the coalition to work with VADOC on its report, but the refusal of VADOC to conduct the study pursuant to rules governing human research on incarcerated individuals, forced the coalition to issue its own report. 

“Our report, based on the statements of those who are in or have experienced solitary confinement in Virginia, shows the legislature and the public the true impact of prolonged solitary confinement in Virginia prisons,” McGennis Williams, Chair of the Coalition on Solitary Confinement said.  “We have received these reports from dozens of individuals confined in cells for 22-24 hours a day directly through our correspondence with them,” she added.  “Their stories are powerful and reveal an overused, understaffed, poorly administered, brutal system of treatment and punishment.”

The report addresses the history of solitary confinement in Virginia, identifies current practices by VADOC, looks at proven alternatives to the use of solitary confinement, and identifies a number of policy recommendations.

To read the full report online, click on VIRGINIA COALITION ON SOLITARY CONFINEMENT — SB 108 REPORT — DECEMBER 1, 2022.

The coalition is working to enact legislation that would limit solitary confinement in Virginia prisons to no more than 15 days in any 60-day period.  At least a dozen other states, including Nebraska, Georgia, New Mexico, and New York, have already passed similar legislation.