20 year veteran prison guard Jim Gibson speaks out on the culture of abuse and neglect within the Virginia Department of Corrections, with his most recent experience at Cold Springs Correctional Unit #10 in Greenville, Virginia. Gibson has been stonewalled by VADOC officials and the Governor’s office as he seeks accountability for these instances of malpractice.

---

The Virginia Worker: Could you provide some background on your employment with the Department of Corrections?

Jim Gibson: I’ve been a correctional officer since 1990 across multiple facilities, including fire camps in California. I’ve worked in the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice, Harrisonburg Men’s Diversion Center, the Charlottesville Regional Jail, the Central Virginia Regional Jail, and most recently at the Cold Springs Correctional Unit #10 as a food supervisor. I’ve also been an associate director for the Virginia Governmental Employees Association to help fight for better pay and benefits for correctional officers and also helped organize the Commonwealth Public Safety Memorial.

VW: Did you notice a difference between the California Department of Corrections and Virginia Department of Corrections?

JG: I didn’t see the same level of professionalism and training in Virginia that I had experienced in California. I hate to even mention the word California, but it was the best job I had. I can’t remember one incident where I had any problems with a supervisor. Down in Virginia I couldn’t even last a year at some of these facilities.

VW: What were your experiences like as an employee of the Virginia Department of Corrections?

JG: Human relations told me we are just numbers and are replaceable. It’s a revolving door of correctional officers in the Virginia Department of Corrections. There was a divide between the officers and food service staff in Cold Springs. One of the worst mistakes I made was applying to work there. There was a lot of staff loss. One officer left the doors open to my office for prisoners while I was serving food. I reported it, but don’t know if anything came of it. A sergeant and lieutenant would sit in their platform, which is an open area between two open inmates dorms, and once said “maybe we won’t respond if you’re being raped”. They would break security protocol and leave keys with workers who were not supposed to have access to those keys. A top member of administrative command staff was terrible and had a reputation of being that way. After I was berated by the them over an issue with ladders being left around I got fed up, turned in my keys and quit. I had returned to work after a day off and did not have access and know where these ladders were kept. The staff member knew that. It was just another cause of hostile, targeted harassment.

VW: The VADOC has been facing scrutiny in the past few years over issues such as escapes, prisoner deaths, hunger strikes, staffing shortages, the hiring of unlicensed doctors and medical neglect, the closure of some facilities, what do you think are the reasons for this?

JG: It comes down to leadership and treating your people right. One superintendent made it known they were only working to beef up their retirement and didn’t care about the facilities. They don’t listen to frontline staff. Pay and benefits are not that good. Augusta Correctional Center is being closed and I never would apply because it was known how bad the job is. I think it needs to be closed. They have treated people so bad they can’t draw from local communities to fill these roles.

VW: Did you or your coworkers ever lodge complaints on the issues you experienced? What were the results of that?

JG: I did an incident report. The higher-ups defended the actions of that administraive command in the Cold Springs Correctional Unit. They didn’t care about the security breaches I reported. It was obvious they didn’t care about the investigation. I tried reaching out to the former VADOC director Harold Clark and got no reply. I worked up the chain of command and didn’t get any response. Not even the governor will respond. I’ve always been a solid supporter of the department of corrections and law enforcement in general. The only results I’ve had is one politician in the public safety committee and one state senator reached out. Here I am a state employee trying to do the right thing and nobody is listening.

I’ve been fliering, handing out cards in the community to make people aware. Most people are upset that I haven’t gotten a response. A nurse and other coworkers had tried to make complaints and nothing has been done. There could be some coverups. Another correctional officer told me in Cold Springs #10 they were forcing inmates to strip and make them dance and shake their genitals. I’ve been sent papers by the VADOC claiming these complaints are unfounded. There should be camera footage to corroborate what I’m saying, but nothing comes up. I’m not a conspiracy theorist, but it seems to be a cover up. I’ve been told to falsify documents in one of the jails.

VW: You were a member of the Virginia Governmental Employees Association, did you reach out to the union for help during all of this? What was their response?

JG: I got in as associate director, but I haven’t dealt with them much. I don’t know if they can do much. They moreso campaign on lobby day. I had reached out to a few people, but no response.

VW: What effects do you think these conditions have on VADOC employees and on the prisoners?

JG: A Lot of stress and overwork for the staff, a lot of frustration and that filters down to the inmates to where they’re not getting the things the courts say they are entitled to, like the doctors. I would see someone come up with a toothache and their face would be swollen and they were only given an aspirin and sent on their way. I noticed they were not getting the proper medical treatment they should get.

I had a good career and it came down to how I treated the inmates. I treated them with professionalism in the way I wanted to be treated. At Cold Springs I didn’t see that, from management on down. I felt like I was treated like a dog. If they are treating me like this as a veteran, what about the new hires? The media won’t report on these issues. It makes me wonder how may people have come forward on these issues only to have the door shut on them. Corrections is a mess right now. It’s unsafe they have staff doing 12 hour shifts. This is how escapes happen.

VW: Do you think the VADOC is actually rehabilitating prisoners?

JG: I don’t think so. I think they are just trying to make themselves look good. Part of rehabilitation in California corrections was giving prisoners skills like firefighting, scuba diving, working with service dogs, upholstery, painting. There’s not enough job skills for inmates in Virginia. They can do a lot better. They are continuously getting drugs in the prisons and even dying as reported at Greensville. You hear about guys getting released in Virginia and overdosing on their first week outside.

VW: What is your response to people who think prisons should be bad places where all the above issues should just be expected and tolerated?

JG: They don’t have to deal with prisoners everyday. We don’t want prisoners coming out harder than when they went in. They will come out someday and be your neighbor. There are people who are unjustly incarcerated by malicious prosecutors. $2.10 was recently the feeding budget per inmate in Virginia, 20 years ago it was $2.55 in California. The feeding budget isn’t there. They definitely do not eat great and food service employees have the difficult task of trying to meet cost. I recommend people get a tour of the facilities or volunteer to see what’s going on. Everyone forgets someone has to deal with these inmates alone and without the support of the leadership.