by James A. Bacon
Inmates in the City of Richmond jail have cell phones, we are learning. They’re not supposed to, but they do. When a deputy attempted to confiscate one not long ago, he (or she) was surrounded by inmates with knives, according to WRIC. Deputies have been physically assaulted, too. Many fear for their safety, which is not surprising considering that the jail is severely short-staffed; 168 of 385 positions (44%) are vacant.
We can surmise that morale isn’t the greatest when deputies are complaining to local media and Sheriff Antionette Irving has taken to giving the deputies polygraph tests. Irving says the jail administers the polygraphs because of “safety and security” considerations. She wants to know if “things are coming through the front door, the back door, or the mail.” Whistle blowers say she’s running deputies through the polygraph to find out whom they’re talking to.
Deputies are talking to Reva Trammel, among other people. The Richmond councilwoman has taken her concerns to local media and has written a letter to Robert Mosier, Virginia secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security. The letter cited three inmate deaths this year and “a growing number” of assaults on deputies. WRIC claims to have seen documents indicating that inmates have inflicted “several deputy injuries” in the last month.
“We’ve only had a few major assaults. We have had little incidents take place, but they haven’t resulted in injury,” Irving told the television station. “We’re doing a good job collectively to keep all of us safe.”
In her defense, Irving cites the jail’s severe staffing shortages. She’s working to fill the 100+ vacant positions. To be sure, labor shortages are endemic across the United States.
The Sheriff also blames society at large. WRIC summarizes her view this way: “Irving believes much of the violence within the walls of the jail stem from the violence on the street. She said the majority of Richmond’s inmates are between 18-35 and incarcerated for violent crimes, including murder.”
Irving grew up in Richmond’s projects, earned a Ph.D. in business administration, and worked her way up the ladder in the Henrico County Sheriffs Department.
She was elected in 2017, unseating her long-time and popular predecessor, C.T. Woody. Woody combined discipline with compassion, maintaining a wide array of programs to help inmates kick drug addictions and reintegrate into society. Irving plugged into what the Richmond Free-Press referred to as “insurgent Democratic groups” and campaigned door-to-door while Woody, who had trounced Irving in two previous elections, relied mainly on endorsements and mailers. The third time was the charm. She won with nearly 52% of the vote.
Irving criticized Woody for hiring relatives, for not doing enough for the mentally ill, and for lawsuits resulting from the highly publicized deaths of inmates. Style Weekly described her philosophy this way: “Irving is steeped in a model of restorative justice and a focus on rehabilitation, finding the roots of misbehaviors — addictions, suppressed experiences and mental health needs — and starting from there.”
Bacon’s bottom line: Media accounts are too superficial to allow outside commentators to draw hard-and-fast conclusions about Irving’s performance. The Sheriff did not create the nation’s chronic labor shortages. However, it is possible that her handling of a difficult situation has made staff shortages worse. Also, she cannot be held responsible for the increase in the number of inmates held for violent crimes. However, it is evident that she has been unable to reverse a downward spiral in which the inmates have intimidated deputies, created an atmosphere of menace, and deputies fearing for their safety have resigned.
It is worth examining the extent to which Irving feels constrained in the use of force to reassert control in a time in which every action by law enforcement is subject to second-guessing. Why crack down and incur the risk that inmates might get injured, public-interest lawyers might file lawsuits, and social activists might stir up outrage in old and new media?
My sense is that Irving is illustrative of a larger social breakdown. She may or may not be dealing well with the situation, but the problem is much bigger than she is.
