PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Legal counsel for the Hampton Roads Regional Jail and the Superintendent began discussions with the US Department of Justice and the US Attorney's Office Monday after a report was released claiming the jail violated constitutional and federal laws.
The Department of Justice completed an investigation that started in December of 2016 into the Hampton Roads Regional Jail in Portsmouth, and it concluded that there is reasonable cause to believe that the jail failed to provide constitutionally adequate medical and mental health care to prisoners.
The investigation also revealed that the jail places prisoners with serious mental illness in restrictive housing for prolonged periods of time under conditions that violate the Constitution.
In a statement released to the media Monday, the Superintendent of the jail, Colonel Hackworth, said current discussions with the Justice Department and the US Attorney's Office over the phone were "encouraging and positive and all parties will be meeting within the next two weeks to continue dialogue and further discuss the report and recommendations."