New Va. Corrections program tailored to female offenders; some male offenders moving to new sites

Virginia Department of Corrections is embarking on an ambitious new plan to make the state prison system more responsive to the needs of female offenders. From trauma-informed care to peer support and specialized programming, the new plan aims to meet the unique needs of female offenders.

Going forward, female offenders will be located at the Fluvanna Correctional Center for Women, Virginia Correctional Center for Women (VCCW), Central Virginia Correctional Center for Women (Unit 13), and the State Farm Work Center. All females offenders will now be housed under one administrative team in the central region of the state.

The State Farm Work Center in Goochland, Virginia currently houses male offenders; those offenders are being relocated. As State Farm transitions from housing male offenders to housing female offenders, the Brunswick and Deerfield Women’s Work Centers will transition from housing female offenders to housing male offenders. All movement of offenders will be completed by Nov. 4, 2019.

Gender responsivity throughout the agency is the goal of this large and innovative project, which is just getting started. The project includes increased vocational training opportunities for female offenders, gender responsive and trauma informed care training for staff, offender peer support from day one, and much more.

In the future, the VADOC hopes to have reentry sites for female offenders in each region of the state (east, central, and west). Reentry centers would provide a safe opportunity to practice reentry into the community, including overnight visits with family, securing employment, and building bank accounts. The VADOC also hopes to offer a nursery at VCCW for those offenders who will be released from incarceration by the time their children are 18 months old.

More information about VADOC can be found at http://www.vadoc.virginia.gov.