Originally published in the Winter 2024 edition of the Virginia Defender, issue 74, printed February 21. Reproduced here for accessibility and archival purposes. To find other stories in the Winter 2024 issue or to download the full PDF, see this post. For other issues dating back to 2012, see the Full Issues page.

Here is just a brief update on the bleak drug-related events at the Greensville Correctional Center.

I am sad to report GRCC has had another fentanyl overdose this morning (10/08/2023). We are on full lockdown again. This facility is fastly becoming a national tragedy. If 60% of the general population is not dead by December 2023 it will be a huge shock to me.

Locking down the entire facility every time a predisposed dope fiend decides to overdose or die is not being intellectually responsive to the problem. Being intellectually responsive is having the United States Attorney pull up in front of this facility with an entourage of 10 or 12 black SUV’s loaded with FBI agents, hand Warden Punturi a stack of federal indictments and inform him that he and his staff are under federal arrest for violating the RICO statute.

Next, have the United States Marshal Service put a padlock on the front entry door of this facility. That is an intellectual response.

The United States Attorney has to bring an end to this ongoing criminal organization; it is killing predisposed substance abusers by the dozen.

And finally, a federal judge should step in and issue an emergency federal injunction to enjoin the Greensville Correctional Center from continuing to incarcerate current and future offenders in this facility as it is now a federal crime scene.

That is just my take.

(Name withheld by editor)

GREENSVILLE CORR. CENTER

Editor’s note: According to Richmond’s WTVR Channel 6, officials at the Greensville Correctional Center reported that the prison underwent a series of searches from Oct. 30 to Nov. 14. The searches, conducted by security staff and members of the statewide Special Response Team, reportedly turned up a large quantity of drugs, including heroin, cocaine, Buprenorphine strips, THC and THC Wax, possible crack cocaine and “many unknown substances.”

There also was a change in the prison’s leadership.

According to Richmond’s WWBT 12, the lead warden, warden and assistant warden at Greensville all were replaced – and assigned to other facilities.

In 2023, six prisoners at Greensville died in just one three-month period. Statewide, VADOC reported 85 overdoses, the highest number since 2016.

It should be noted that, since the pandemic, the number of visitors has dropped sharply. So who is bringing in the drugs?