Lawmakers call for further inquiry into Virginia prison that had hypothermia hospitalizations

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A raft of hypothermia hospitalizations and other questionable conditions at a Virginia prison uncovered in a recent report deserve further scrutiny, leading Democratic state lawmakers said this week.

Lawmakers pledged to press Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration for answers and called for a newly created prisons watchdog to look into the findings of an Associated Press report, which found at least 13 hospitalizations for hypothermia over three years at the Marion Correctional Treatment Center.

The AP also obtained records that showed medical providers expressing concern about temperatures at the prison and another long-tenured employee indicating that he would not be surprised to learn of hypothermia complaints. Previously reported records have detailed allegations that conditions inside the facility were at times so cold, toilet water froze over.

The Virginia Department of Corrections has recently declined to answer questions from the AP about the prison, citing pending litigation over an inmate’s death that has focused in part on allegations of poor conditions and intentional cold exposure. The DOC also did not acknowledge an AP request to interview an official with responsibility over the facility.

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