Governor Spanberger Announces Major Virginia Department of Corrections Reforms, Creates New Community Partnership Council on Corrections

RICHMOND, VA - Governor Abigail Spanberger today announced major reforms made by her administration to increase the safety of corrections officers, staff, and incarcerated individuals and increase transparency and accountability at Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC) facilities - and illustrated the significant results achieved by these reforms. Additionally, the Governor announced the new Governor's Community Partnership Council on Corrections.

"Since the start of my administration, we have focused on reform that makes our facilities safer, strengthens trust with the community, and reinforces our commitment to accountability, professionalism, and transparency," said Governor Abigail Spanberger. "When I came into office, I got an early window into the many things that were wrong inside Virginia's correctional system. Not wrong because of the dedicated VADOC employees who work tirelessly day in and day out - but systemically wrong."

Governor Spanberger continued, "Today, we are here to mark the progress we've made. Serious inmate-on-staff assaults have decreased by 56 percent and confirmed overdoses have decreased by 47 percent. To every VADOC employee - those in the room and those listening to these words after the fact - your work is improving lives, strengthening public safety, and earning the trust of communities across Virginia. These reforms happened because of you."

Alongside corrections officers, public safety leaders, and advocates at VADOC headquarters in Richmond, Governor Spanberger announced the creation of the Governor's Community Partnership Council on Corrections - a new advisory council dedicated to advancing additional safety reforms by hearing directly from VADOC staff, incarcerated individuals, and communities across Virginia. The Governor released a new public report outlining the council and her commitment to bringing together Virginians to address the challenges facing VADOC facilities.

Governor Spanberger added, "Our work is just getting started. Today, I am launching the Governor's Community Partnership Council on Corrections. This council - led by Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security Stanley Meador and Virginia Department of Corrections Director Joseph Walters - will create a permanent, structured forum for dialogue and action on the issues that matter most: conditions of confinement, reentry and reintegration, family engagement, staffing, and public accountability. Forming this group is exactly how we ensure that these reforms we've undertaken take root, and build a foundation for Virginia long after I am no longer in this office."

Since taking office in January, the Spanberger Administration has taken the following steps to improve the safety of corrections officers, staff, and incarcerated individuals at VADOC facilities:

• Appointed a fully aligned leadership team - including, for the first time in VADOC history, Director, Chief Deputy Director, and Senior Policy Adviser as appointed positions.
• Established a new Code of Ethics.
• Created an Office of Professional Standards with a new Deputy Director specifically charged with holding all employees - including senior leaders - accountable.
• Created and mandated new Use-of-Force training that prioritizes de-escalation, safer practices, and rendering aid.
• Ended the use of five-point restraints - a practice that does not align with modern standards for individuals experiencing a mental health crisis.

Driven by these reforms, VADOC facilities have seen significant improvements from January to May 2026 compared to the same period in 2025:

• Serious inmate-on-staff assaults decreased by 56 percent
• Use-of-Force incidents decreased by 39 percent
• Full lockdowns of facilities decreased by 27 percent
• Confirmed overdoses decreased by 47 percent
• Suspected overdoses decreased by 12 percent
• Number of incarcerated individuals in Restorative Housing Units decreased by 20 percent

Governor Spanberger was joined by Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security Stanley Meador, Virginia Department of Corrections Director Joseph Walters, corrections officers, and additional VADOC staff.

"Engagement isn't an event; it's a practice. It's how we make sure our work reflects the realities happening on the ground, and how we build the kind of organization that people trust," said Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security Stanley Meador. "As we continue to grow in this direction, we're focused on creating ways for dialogue to be ongoing - not something that happens once, but something that becomes part of how we operate."

"We have taken a new approach over these last five months, and I am pleased to say it is working," said Virginia Department of Corrections Director Joseph Walters. "We have focused on creating a people-first culture and reaffirming our shared commitment to integrity, accountability, and public trust."

Click here to read Governor Spanberger's full report on the steps her administration is taking to increase the safety of corrections officers, staff, and incarcerated individuals and improve conditions at VADOC facilities.

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