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253

Inmates burn themselves in protest at ‘inhumane’ Virginia prison conditions (www.theguardian.com)

submitted 2 weeks ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

23 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Summary

Incarcerated individuals at Virginia’s Red Onion State Prison have reportedly burned themselves in protest of alleged inhumane conditions, including racial abuse, excessive solitary confinement, and neglect.

The Virginia Department of Corrections confirmed six incidents but denied reports of self-immolation, while others claim 12 men were injured.

Protesters and advocacy groups, including the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus, demand an independent investigation, citing reports of maggot-infested food, physical abuse, and poor medical care.

Incarcerated journalist Kevin “Rashid” Johnson, who exposed the protests, was placed in solitary confinement, allegedly as retaliation.

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[–] [email protected] 64 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Red Onion is hell on earth, and they justify its existence and hellishness by saying "these are Virginia's most violent criminals"

but they justify this based on most of who's there, their heinous act of violence that got them there was reflexively defending themselves when a guard at a lower security prison started wailing on them. what's more, is that its location is meant to stimulate fear and terror in its mostly urban general population, whereas the prison is in a rural area with wildlife the inmates have never seen before.

Red Onion isn't a detention center. it's a torture facility. i even wonder how long between sustaining these burns and them being treated passed.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

I think it’s terrible that the US system releases convicts and calls them “rehabilitated” basically only if they manage to stay out of prison. Meanwhile the prisons are shitholes that more often than not offer no actual rehabilitation, or it may be limited or have barriers to access. Meanwhile their “convict” status follows them for the rest of their lives, hindering their future prospects and how they are viewed by society at large.

The impression I get from Europeans is that they view their legal system as too soft on crime, letting people escape harsher punishments or seemingly any punishment at all. It’s the same view in the US of our own system, except that I’d view ours to be randomly far harsher on minorities/poverty than white, and almost nonexistent vs the wealthy. In a way I think the EU system is better. Petty crime seems to be more of a thing, partly thanks to tourism and immigrants, but their treatment of the prison system seems far better than the hellholes we “rehabilitate” people in.

Point being, prisons don’t all have to be shitholes that do little to nothing for inmates to prevent them from remaining or returning to prison. The US seems barely above some of the worst prisons we hear about in other poor countries.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 weeks ago

European justice are designed to at least try to rehabilitate people, because you know they will come back

The American justice system is all about revenge. Don't care they will be released again, they'll screw up again and we will again have our revenge

[–] Eezyville 9 points 2 weeks ago

The 8th Amendment protects against cruel and unusual punishment but it means nothing if we the people don't enforce that contract upon the government.

[–] pelespirit 18 points 2 weeks ago

Conditions

More than two-thirds of prisoners at Red Onion are held in solitary confinement, or "segregation". They are confined to their cells 23 hours per day in 8’ x 10’ cells with 6” x 24” windows for light. Length of confinement ranges from two weeks to fourteen years.[15][16] Food and medicine are served through trays in the cell door.[17]

Opportunities for education and work are more limited than in most prisons due to the higher security level; however, Red Onion offers janitorial work, a GED program, and a literacy program.[16] The prison uses a video education system which allows the playing of prerecorded video files over 5" CCTV screens.[16][17][18]

The facility was designed to minimize contact between corrections officers and prisoners as well as among prisoners.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Onion_State_Prison