PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Local leaders with the NAACP and the ACLU met with the superintendent of the Hampton Roads Regional Jail on Thursday, to discuss what the jail has done to improve conditions following a scathing Department of Justice report that accused the jail of violating the constitutional rights of inmates.
Rhonda Thissen with the National Alliance of Mental Illness of Virginia said she wasn’t satisfied.
“We were hoping we would see some sort of strategic activity," she said. "I think they have ideas but we really need more specifics as to what that actually means.”
The 43-page report from December listed a series of jail failures including ignoring prisoner requests for medical treatment and leaving inmates in their cells for 22 hours or more.
“We got to fix this problem. There were people in there suffering right now and as to the sense of urgency, I don’t think we heard that from the staff," explained Bill Farrar with the ACLU. "We toured the facility and went through the segregation unit afterwards. People were yelling through walls for us to help them.”
Hampton Roads Regional Jail houses inmates who have the most serious medical and mental health needs from Norfolk, Portsmouth, Newport News, Hampton, and Chesapeake city jails. The jail has the highest mentally ill inmate population across the state.
The DOJ listed more than 40 recommendations for the jail to implement to address the issues. The NAACP and ACLU are hoping to learn what the jail has done to be in compliance with the report.
Bruce Cruser with Mental Health America Virginia said, “We want to make sure that there’s accountability and transparency through this whole process.”
Advocates said during the meeting they did see some improvements, including the hiring or more staff, jail officials changing the way they manage inmate sick calls, and improving overall operating procedures. But they believe more needs to happen or be enforced.
13News Now reached out to jail Superintendent David Hackworth. He didn’t return our call, but back in February, he told us he’s determined to bring change.
“I think we're looking at this as an opportunity,” Hackworth told 13News Now after the report's release. “An opportunity to improve our operations, and to make sure we're doing what we're supposed to be doing."