‘Continuous deaths’: Hampton Roads Regional Jail’s accreditation revoked

Portsmouth — A national group revoked its accreditation of the Hampton Roads Regional Jail, citing “continuous deaths” and a U.S. Department of Justice consent decree among its reasons.

In a letter this week, a copy of which was obtained by The Virginian-Pilot, the American Correctional Association said its accreditation commission met earlier this month and decided to revoke its backing of the jail.

The organization “does not make decisions such as this without clear information,” Thomas Stickrath, chair of the accreditation commission, wrote in the letter, which was addressed to the jail’s interim superintendent and also given to the jail’s board.

“While the ACA’s decision is unfortunate, the DOJ consent decree and correctional standards provide a pathway to make Hampton Roads Regional Jail a role model facility,” Col. Jeff Vergakis, the interim superintendent, wrote in an email. “HRRJ will continue to abide by ACA standards as we have since accreditation.”

[ Hampton Roads Regional Jail facing a staffing shortage so severe it’s moving 250 inmates ]

Accreditation through private groups is common for jails and police departments. It’s voluntary — agencies are not required to have it to operate. But many tout their accreditation as an outside seal of approval, proof they’ve met a set of independent national standards.

The American Correctional Association is not a government oversight agency. On its website, the group lists the Hampton City Jail and several state prisons as facilities it has accredited in the Hampton Roads area. Other local city jails are not listed, which does not mean they were rejected for accreditation — but likely means they never sought it.

In its letter, the nonprofit also lists its own audit and monitoring visit of the regional jail and “various actions” by the state as reasons for the revocation.

The jail is under DOJ oversight and a federal consent decree — the only jail placed under one during the Trump administration. This follows a 2018 report that found conditions at the jail violated the Constitution’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Under the decree, the jail has to make changes, including reducing its use of solitary confinement for inmates with serious mental illness and hiring more medical, mental health and security staff.

The regional jail also has a severe staffing shortage, with more than 100 positions — over a third of its jail officers — vacant. To alleviate the shortage, the jail’s board voted in November to move 255 inmates, about 30% of the jail’s population, back to the city jails from where they came.

Margaret Matray, 757-222-5216, margaret.matray@pilotonline.com