PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Months after a state review board recommended the Hampton Roads Regional Jail (HRRJ) close down for poor safety conditions, a spokesman at the jail said they have a plan to get back on track.
The plans haven't been clearly outlined, but HRRJ is working with the State Board for Local and Regional Jails to figure out how to become a safer place for inmates.
HRRJ lost accreditation from the American Correctional Association in March 2021, after a series of deaths in the facility.
In February, four inmates died in separate incidents.
In the early hours of the morning on Feb. 4, 49-year-old Keith Robinson was about to start baking in the kitchen when he collapsed and couldn't be revived. That afternoon, 74-year-old William Felton, who was at Maryview Medical Center getting end-of-life care, passed away.
Then, on Feb. 19, another inmate was found unresponsive. Medical staff couldn't resuscitate that person, who wasn't named.
On Feb. 22, the fourth inmate died. All the jail announced at the time was that an inmate had been found unresponsive early in the morning, and hadn't survived.
These deaths sparked a series of reviews for HRRJ. In April, Virginia's Jail Review Committee shared a preliminary report that recommended HRRJ be shut down.
The committee said this jail didn't meet acceptable minimum standards for the supervision of inmates, didn't meet standards for medical and mental health care, and showed an "egregious lack of concern for the health and safety of all who enter."
That committee reports to the State Board for Local and Regional Jails, which met with HRRJ leaders on Wednesday.
Brian Deprofio, the HRRJA Chairman, promised better to come on Thursday:
"We are pleased to have reached an agreement with the State Board for Local and Regional Jails on a corrective action plan. While the Agreement will not be public until after it is finalized and executed, we believe it will provide a pathway forward for the Hampton Roads Regional Jail to continue serving a vital role in the regional correctional system."