Rallying outside the General Assembly, a group of community activists had a message for lawmakers, “Incarcerating kids doesn’t work.” An ongoing 8News investigation has revealed that Virginia leads the nation in referring kids to cops, courts, and correctional centers.
“They don’t work, they are half empty and they’re unsafe for kids and they are not making our communities safe,” says Amy Woolard, senior attorney with Voices for Virginia’s Children.
Community activists like Woolard are pressing the state to close its youth prisons.It appears the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice may agree. DJJ is proposing closing the Bon Air Correctional Center in Chesterfield and the Beaumont Correctional Center in Powhatan.