The U.S. Department of Justice announced Monday it plans to investigate Hampton Roads Regional Jail for its treatment of inmates with histories of mental health problems and whether it is providing medical treatment for inmates who request or need it. Since 2002, 18 inmates have died at the jail, including one in 2015 being held for allegedly stealing $5 worth of snacks from a convenience store and two more in 2016 who were reportedly requesting medical assistance. Photo by
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PORTSMOUTH, Va., Dec. 13 (UPI) -- The deaths of several inmates amid complaints of mistreatment and reports of inmates being denied medical services at a Virginia jail has garnered the attention of the U.S. Department of Justice, which said it will investigate the facility.
The Justice Department announced Monday it is mounting an investigation of the Hampton Roads Regional Jail, focusing on whether inmates' constitutional rights have been violated by putting prisoners in solitary confinement for long stretches of time and denying their access to services and programs related to health and disability conditions.
"We are committed to protecting the civil rights of all citizens, including those who are incarcerated," U.S. Attorney Dana J. Boente of the Eastern District of Virginia said in a press release. "Prisoners with mental illness are a particularly vulnerable population, and their rights must be safeguarded. We look forward to conducting a full and fair investigation of this matter in partnership with the Civil Rights Division."
Investigators will be focused on potential violations of the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the department said.
Since 2002, 18 inmates have died at the jail, including Jamycheal Mitchell, who had a history of mental illness, and was arrested on charges he stole $5 worth of food from a convenience store. Three months later, he was found dead in a jail cell, with feces on the walls and urine on the floor, and other inmates accusing guards of abusing the 24-year-old during his 101 days at the facility.
Henry Clay Stewart and William Otis Thrower Sr., two other inmates, have died at the facility this year. Stewart had been arrested for violating probation and, while jailed, had requests for medical care denied several times, according to another inmate.
Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring requested the department of justice to investigate the jail previously, on Monday releasing a statement saying he hoped the investigation would provide answers as to what is going on at the facility.
"All prisoners, including those with mental illness, have a constitutional right to receive necessary medical care, treatment and services," said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, head of the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice. "The Justice Department will conduct a thorough investigation, led by the facts and the law, to review conditions in the jail."
