Several inmates at Virginia’s high-security Red Onion State Prison reportedly harmed themselves in protest against alleged “inhumane” conditions. According to reports, six prisoners intentionally burned themselves by tampering with electrical outlets, while 12 others sustained injuries during the incidents.
Kevin ‘Rashid’ Johnson, an inmate at Red Onion, alleged the extreme actions were driven by “intolerable” living conditions and abuse. “The hard and inhumane conditions at Red Onion were so intolerable that he and others were setting themselves on fire in desperate attempts to be transferred away from the prison,” Johnson told Prison Radio.
Johnson also claimed that back in September, two cellmates set themselves on fire, citing “racism and abuses.” Another inmate, Charles Coleman, said he suffered repeated physical, verbal, and psychological abuse, as well as denial of medical treatment, from the prison’s guards and staff.
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin confirmed the protests and emphasized that a probe was underway to determine the cause and circumstances of the incidents. “We have been in conversations with the Department of Corrections about these circumstances,” he said, adding that understanding how and why these events occurred was a key part of the investigation.
Chad Dotson, director of Virginia’s Department of Corrections, stated, “In recent months, six inmates at Red Onion State Prison have burned themselves using improvised devices that were created by tampering with electrical outlets.”
Dotson clarified that claims of self-immolation were exaggerated. “To be clear, these inmates did not set themselves on fire or self-immolate, as some reports have ludicrously suggested,” he said, dismissing certain reports as politically motivated efforts by advocacy groups.
Dotson further explained that some prisoners were treated for burns at the department’s secure medical facility, while others required no external medical care. All six inmates have since been referred to mental health staff for treatment.
Governor Youngkin confirmed the Department of Corrections has investigated the cases, stressing the importance of understanding the context behind these troubling events.
