Sussex II one of four Virginia prisons to close next year
WAVERLY – One of Sussex County’s two high-level prisons will close next July, the Virginia Department of Corrections announced Friday.
Sussex II is one of four facilities VADOC will shut down in July 2024, the department said in a statement. The others are Augusta Correctional Center near Staunton, Haynesville Correctional Unit #17 in Richmond County and Stafford Community Corrections Alternative Program in Stafford County.
Its companion prison, Sussex I, will remain open.
VADOC also will take control of the state’s only privately run prison in Lawrenceville, about 47 miles southwest of Petersburg.
VADOC said in its statement that the decision to close the facilities was made to “enhance employee, inmate, and probationer safety, to address longstanding staffing challenges, and in consideration of significant ongoing maintenance costs.”
Sussex II, who with its companion prison Sussex I are about 25 miles southeast of Petersburg, had been beset with financing problems since 2010 when the state stopped paying a service fee to the county instead of tax dollars. Del. Otto Wachsmann, R-Sussex, unsuccessfully tried twice to have that fee reinstated in Virginia’s budget.
Sussex II currently holds slightly more than 500 inmates, according to VADOC data from October 2023. That is one-quarter of the inmate population total for all four targeted institutions.
Between them, the Sussex prisons employed around 700 people. VADOC said the staff at Sussex II has been temporarily reassigned to Sussex I.
Sussex I and II opened in 1998.
In the statement, VADOC director Chad Dotson said he was “committed to ensuring” that the affected employees will be able to stay on board in the department if they so wished.
“Our dedicated employees work every day to create long-term public safety in the commonwealth of Virginia,” Dotson said in the statement. “I value them, and our leadership and human resources staff are here to answer their questions and hear their feedback as we support them during this transition.”
Last month, VADOC announced it was transferring the warden of Augusta Correctional Center to take over at Greensville Correctional Center near Jarratt following a state investigation into substandard conditions and several inmate deaths there. A senior leader from the Sussex I prison was also transferred to Greensville.
Bill Atkinson (he/him/his) is an award-winning journalist who covers breaking news, government and politics. Reach him at batkinson@progress-index.com or on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @BAtkinson_PI.
This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Sussex II one of four Virginia prisons to close next year
