PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Board members formally decided to close the Hampton Roads Regional Jail (HRRJ) Wednesday afternoon.
The official vote comes after jail staffers recently received a letter from the authority board chairman announcing a closure. Close to 200 inmates and around 150 employees will feel the impacts.
For background, HRRJ started in 1998 as overflow housing for jails in Portsmouth, Norfolk, Newport News and Hampton. Chesapeake became the fifth member in 2016, according to the HRRJ website.
The future of the jail has been contested for several months now, especially beginning on August 16, when Portsmouth Sheriff Michael Moore's emails were obtained and discussed why the jail should be closed.
Between now and April, the 198 inmates who are currently there should be headed back to facilities in their respective cities.
"We've had conversations with all the sheriffs and they feel like they can support the needs of all the inmates coming back into their custody," authority board vice chairman Pete Buryk said following the vote Wednesday afternoon.
The board voted on taking the following actions: begin winding down operations to transfer all inmates into the custody of their jurisdictions by April 1, 2024, or sooner, authorize additional closure pay for employees and facilitate a smooth transition of its inmates, sponsor a job fair to assist employees with finding new jobs, take all actions necessary to close the jail and dispose of its assets.
In the letter to HRRJ employees, authority board chairman Bob Geis wrote in part, "We know this may be unsettling news, but it is necessary given the current and prospective inmate population."
He said the number of inmates at the regional jail has continued to fall over the years. Operations will cease no later than April 1, the letter went on to say.
"Jail operation is no longer sustainable. We've suffered from staffing challenges and decreased inmate populations over the years, and the five jurisdictions have felt that it's no longer in our all best interest to sustain the operations," Buryk said.
The Portsmouth branch of the NAACP has advocated for closure since "the death of JaMycheal Mitchell, Henry Stewart and so many others..."
Over the years, HRRJ often housed the region's sickest patients.
In 2015, inmate deaths prompted an investigation by the Department of Justice (DOJ). And in 2018, the DOJ released a report outlining dangerous conditions and a possible violation of inmates' constitutional rights.
Regional jail authority board member and Portsmouth Vice Mayor Lisa Lucas-Burke said the vote Wednesday afternoon did not arrive without action to correct concerns, saying "I think we did everything in their will to try to be compliant and comply with everything that was requested."
Portsmouth NAACP President James Boyd said he has long awaited for clarity on the jail's closure, "Glad for our community. Glad for the families who suffered."
However, Boyd still has questions, "Why did it take so long?"
13News Now brought his concern to regional jail authority board vice chairman Buryk.
"It's a complicated operation, and we wanted to make sure it was done safely in the right way and primarily supporting the safety of the inmates and respecting all the employees who have served here," Buryk said.
Furthermore, Boyd shared this call to action: "That the Department of Justice, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District and the Attorney General of Virginia will review every death that happened in the Hampton Roads Regional Jail, every death."
Meanwhile, the future of the HRRJ property hangs in the balance. Buryk said authority board members will have to explore and review all their options.
Portsmouth city leaders have already expressed interest in purchasing the HRRJ building with hopes of transforming it into a new city jail. The existing city jail sits on waterfront property.
"We want to be able to develop our downtown waterfront into something beautiful," said Vice Mayor Lucas-Burke.
She could not offer a timeline, as negotiations will be arranged by city management.