A $105 million prison in Virginia has stood empty for four months since its completion last summer because the state doesn’t have enough inmates to fill it. The 1,024-bed prison in Grayson County could remain empty for two years or longer, officials said. Meanwhile, Virginia taxpayers are left to pay $715,000 a year to keep the prison in working condition. A “mothball” crew of six employees walks the halls every day, unlocking and locking doors, flushing toilets, and making sure the facility’s heat and air condition are in good order.
The Grayson prison is one of three built in the past five years, after a 2004 report concluded Virginia’s prison population would surge by 11,000 inmates by 2010. That population did jump for a few years, but then declined 2.8 percent in the past two years to its current total of 38,000 inmates.
State Public Safety Secretary Marla Graff Decker expects only 1,000 more inmates by 2016.
Decker cited several reasons for the declining inmate population: Budget constraints require more state prisoners to remain in local prisons, where fewer arrests have relieved any overcrowding. Overall, Virginia closed nine aging correctional facilities in the past four years because of budget reductions, Department of Corrections spokesman Larry Traylor said, even while the state spent millions building new prisons. To fill the Grayson prison, Traylor said, the state may have to close another older prison or start accepting inmates from other states.
Despite the vacancies, Traylor said the excess space is not a problem.
“We can always use more bed space. Also, facilities are aging. We’ve got to update what we have as far as security,” Traylor said. “We have to look at facilities that are going offline and bring in new facilities at the same time.”
Stacey Johnson, spokesman for Gov. Bob McDonnell, said the projections of inmate populations and the decisions to deal with them were made by previous administrations.
“We are using current formulas and data and we trust that as we move forward we will be able to make well-reasoned decisions based on the best information available,” Johnson said. “Our top priority is to ensure that during these tough economic times and budget cuts public safety is not compromised and decisions are made carefully with minimal impact on staff and localities.”
