Riverside Regional Jail was in the news again Feb. 21, when Fred Lavigne, 53, of Chesterfield County, was found unresponsive in his cell. According to jail spokeswoman Charlene R. Jones, suicide is suspected, but the state medical examiner’s office will determine the official cause of death.
NEW DOC RULES LIMIT NUMBER OF VISITORS
In a new Department of Corrections policy, Virginia’s roughly 38,000 state prisoners are now allowed no more than 10 people on their visitors lists.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY TACKLES PRISON REFORM, BUT MUCH LEFT TO DO
The 2020 Virginia General Assembly, in which the Democrats hold a majority of seats in both the Senate and House of Delegates, has been promoting a number of bills that may bring a measure of justice to some of the state’s 38,000 prisoners – and will likely disappoint many others.
PRISONER-LED NETWORK PRESSES FIGHT FOR PRISON JUSTICE
The 3rd Annual Virginia Prison Justice Rally, sponsored by the Virginia Prison Justice Network, was held Jan. 11, 2020, on the grounds of the Virginia State Capitol. This year’s rally was preceded the day before by a press conference, held in the briefing room of the General Assembly building and covered by TV stations CBS-6, ABC-8 and NBC-12, as well as several newspaper outlets.
TRUMP’S DHS TO SEND ‘SWAT’ TEAMS TO SANCTUARY CITIES
Defying the vicious, anti-immigrant offensive of the Trump administration, a total of 182 U.S. cities, counties and states have declared themselves “sanctuary cities,” refusing to cooperate with federal immigration agents. In response, the Department of Homeland Security is now planning to send Border Patrol “SWAT” teams to these jurisdictions.
RICHMONDERS SAY ‘NO’ TO NAVY HILL PROJECT
Braving chilly weather, scores of people gathered this evening on the steps of Richmond City Hall to show their opposition to the so-called Navy Hill project, a massive downtown development scheme headed by Dominion Energy Chairman, President and CEO Thomas F. Farrell II.
TEACH-IN ON IMMIGRANT AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
On Sept. 21, the Richmond Peace Education Center co-sponsored an event in Richmond’s Monroe Park with the League of United Latin American Citizens, ReEstablish Richmond, and other immigrant and social justice advocacy organizations.
The Virginia Defender 