Fluvanna Correctional Center for Women
Encyclopedia
Fluvanna Correctional Center for Women is a prison
operated by the Virginia Department of Corrections
. It is located in an unincorporated area
of Fluvanna County, Virginia
, near the town of Troy
, about 55 miles northwest of Richmond
. The security level 3 facility housed 1,199 female inmates as of June 2008, including the women's death row
for the Commonwealth of Virginia
.
rejected a 1992 proposal by the Virginia Department of Corrections for a new 600-inmate facility in Lynchburg, Virginia
that would have created between 250 to 300 jobs. Construction began on 30 acres (12.1 ha) in Fluvanna along U.S. Route 250
in January 1996, with initial plans to open by August 1997.
Completed at a cost of $53.1 million, the correctional center was opened in April 1998, starting with about 800 prisoners. The facility is the second in the state dedicated to housing only female inmates, after the Virginia Correctional Center for Women
in Goochland County
. The new prison was designed to accommodate 1,200 inmates and incorporated a 78000 sq ft (7,246.4 m²) medical facility on site to minimize the risk of escape. The perimeter was secured by electronic fences and patrols.
In December 1998, warden Patti Leigh Huffman refused to enforce a state order that banned cosmetics from the female prison population. The Virginia Department of Corrections was concerned about drugs being smuggled in makeup containers, but the prison was already equipped for detection of such contraband. Huffman stated, "If a woman wants to use cosmetics to make her feel better, then that's important.... Self-esteem is a core factor of every program at Fluvanna."
investigated growing reports of sexual misconduct by the male prison staff upon the inmates. The corrections department stated that it would not consider any relationship between guards and inmates consensual under any circumstances. In June 2009, state senator Frank Ruff
requested that the department investigate allegations that the correctional center denied access to religious services and profiled lesbian inmates for segregation.
for Virginia's female inmates, executions
by lethal injection
are conducted at Greensville Correctional Center
near Jarratt, Virginia
, located to the south of Richmond. Teresa Lewis
, the only woman held in Fluvanna's death row, was executed on September 23, 2010.
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
operated by the Virginia Department of Corrections
Virginia Department of Corrections
The Virginia Department of Corrections is the government agency responsible for operating prisons and correctional facilities for the US Commonwealth of Virginia. The agency is fully accredited by the American Correctional Association and is one of the oldest functioning correctional agencies in...
. It is located in an unincorporated area
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
of Fluvanna County, Virginia
Fluvanna County, Virginia
As of 2002, Fluvanna County's population was 20,047. There are 7,387 households, and 5,702 families residing in the county. The population density was 70 people per square mile . There were 8,018 housing units at an average density of 28 per square mile...
, near the town of Troy
Troy, Virginia
Troy is an unincorporated community in Fluvanna County, Virginia, United States. It lies just east of U.S. Route 15, between Zion Crossroads to the north and the county seat of Palmyra to the south. Troy's existence was defined by the Virginia Air Line Railway, which operated from 1908 to 1975...
, about 55 miles northwest of Richmond
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
. The security level 3 facility housed 1,199 female inmates as of June 2008, including the women's death row
Death row
Death row signifies the place, often a section of a prison, that houses individuals awaiting execution. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting execution , even in places where no special facility or separate unit for condemned inmates exists.After individuals are found...
for the Commonwealth of Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
.
History
Fluvanna County became a candidate for a new women's prison after the Board of Supervisors of Bedford CountyBedford County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 60,371 people, 23,838 households, and 18,164 families residing in the county. The population density was 80 people per square mile . There were 26,841 housing units at an average density of 36 per square mile...
rejected a 1992 proposal by the Virginia Department of Corrections for a new 600-inmate facility in Lynchburg, Virginia
Lynchburg, Virginia
Lynchburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 75,568 as of 2010. Located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains along the banks of the James River, Lynchburg is known as the "City of Seven Hills" or "The Hill City." Lynchburg was the only major city in...
that would have created between 250 to 300 jobs. Construction began on 30 acres (12.1 ha) in Fluvanna along U.S. Route 250
U.S. Route 250 in Virginia
U.S. Route 250 is a part of the U.S. Highway System that runs from Sandusky, Ohio to Richmond, Virginia. In Virginia, the U.S. Highway runs from the West Virginia state line near Hightown east to its eastern terminus at US 360 in Richmond...
in January 1996, with initial plans to open by August 1997.
Completed at a cost of $53.1 million, the correctional center was opened in April 1998, starting with about 800 prisoners. The facility is the second in the state dedicated to housing only female inmates, after the Virginia Correctional Center for Women
Virginia Correctional Center for Women
Chesterfield Division Correctional Center for Women is a female-only state prison in Virginia, USA.Opened in 1931, it is located in Goochland, in central Virginia.-External links:*...
in Goochland County
Goochland County, Virginia
Goochland County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2010, the population was 21,717. Its county seat is Goochland. It is located in the Richmond-Petersburg region and is a portion of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area ....
. The new prison was designed to accommodate 1,200 inmates and incorporated a 78000 sq ft (7,246.4 m²) medical facility on site to minimize the risk of escape. The perimeter was secured by electronic fences and patrols.
In December 1998, warden Patti Leigh Huffman refused to enforce a state order that banned cosmetics from the female prison population. The Virginia Department of Corrections was concerned about drugs being smuggled in makeup containers, but the prison was already equipped for detection of such contraband. Huffman stated, "If a woman wants to use cosmetics to make her feel better, then that's important.... Self-esteem is a core factor of every program at Fluvanna."
Investigations
In 1999, the American Civil Liberties UnionAmerican Civil Liberties Union
The American Civil Liberties Union is a U.S. non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." It works through litigation, legislation, and...
investigated growing reports of sexual misconduct by the male prison staff upon the inmates. The corrections department stated that it would not consider any relationship between guards and inmates consensual under any circumstances. In June 2009, state senator Frank Ruff
Frank Ruff
Frank M. Ruff, Jr. is an American politician. A Republican, he served in the Virginia House of Delegates 1992–2000 and was elected to the Senate of Virginia in November 2000. He the 15th district, which includes six whole counties and parts of five others in Southside Virginia.-External...
requested that the department investigate allegations that the correctional center denied access to religious services and profiled lesbian inmates for segregation.
Executions
Though the facility houses the death rowDeath row
Death row signifies the place, often a section of a prison, that houses individuals awaiting execution. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting execution , even in places where no special facility or separate unit for condemned inmates exists.After individuals are found...
for Virginia's female inmates, executions
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
by lethal injection
Lethal injection
Lethal injection is the practice of injecting a person with a fatal dose of drugs for the express purpose of causing the immediate death of the subject. The main application for this procedure is capital punishment, but the term may also be applied in a broad sense to euthanasia and suicide...
are conducted at Greensville Correctional Center
Greensville Correctional Center
Greensville Correctional Center is a prison facility located in unincorporated Greensville County, Virginia, near Jarratt. It is operated by the Virginia Department of Corrections. Greensville houses the execution chamber used to carry out capital punishment by the Commonwealth of...
near Jarratt, Virginia
Jarratt, Virginia
Jarratt is a town in Greensville and Sussex counties in the U.S. state of Virginia. The population was 589 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.3 square miles , all land....
, located to the south of Richmond. Teresa Lewis
Teresa Lewis
Teresa Wilson Bean Lewis was an American who was the only woman on death row in Virginia prior to her execution. She was sentenced to death by lethal injection for using sex and money to arrange for the murders of her husband and stepson in October 2002...
, the only woman held in Fluvanna's death row, was executed on September 23, 2010.
Notable inmates
| Inmate | Number | Status | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teresa Lewis Teresa Lewis Teresa Wilson Bean Lewis was an American who was the only woman on death row in Virginia prior to her execution. She was sentenced to death by lethal injection for using sex and money to arrange for the murders of her husband and stepson in October 2002... |
321094 | Executed September 23, 2010 | Murder Murder Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide... |
See also
- Capital punishment in VirginiaCapital punishment in VirginiaCapital punishment is legal in the U.S. State of Virginia. In what is now the Commonwealth of Virginia, the first execution in the future United States was carried out in 1608. It was the first of 1,384 executions, the highest total of any state in the Union...
- List of Virginia state prisons
External links
- Fluvanna Correctional Center for Women at the Virginia Department of CorrectionsVirginia Department of CorrectionsThe Virginia Department of Corrections is the government agency responsible for operating prisons and correctional facilities for the US Commonwealth of Virginia. The agency is fully accredited by the American Correctional Association and is one of the oldest functioning correctional agencies in...
- Fluvanna Correctional Center for Women: A model facility at AllBusiness.comAllBusiness.comAllBusiness.com, a wholly owned subsidiary of Dun & Bradstreet, provides business information and resources for small businesses, those companies with fewer than 500 employees...