The warden of Wallens Ridge State Prison removed Confederate memorabilia from his office recently after critics called it unsuitable for a supermax facility where guards have been accused of racial intolerance.
Criticism came mostly from Connecticut lawmakers, who noticed framed prints of Civil War battle scenes – some of which included the Confederate flag – during a visit to Wallens Ridge.
The Wise County prison currently holds about 400 inmates from Connecticut, and legislators from the state toured the facility in January.
Three legislators said the display in Warden Stan Young’s office was especially offensive to them in light of complaints of racial strife at the supermax, which has a predominantly minority population and a mostly white staff.
Democratic Rep. Michael Lawlor likened the display to “waving a red flag in the face of a bull when you’re talking about young black and Puerto Rican kids from Connecticut.”
“Whether or not the staff at Wallens Ridge is intentionally trying to provoke a problem, they’re provoking a problem,” he said.
In interviews Monday and Tuesday, Lawlor, Rep. Wade Hyslop and Sen. Alvin Penn apparently were unaware that the items had been removed. A spokesman for the Virginia Department of Corrections said Tuesday afternoon when Young “became aware of the offensive nature of these personal items, he immediately removed them from his office.”
Larry Traylor said Young is a history buff who has accumulated a personal collection of “very tasteful” artwork of Civil War scenes. “It’s what you might see in a restaurant or even in the state Capitol,” Traylor said.
But in Connecticut, the Confederate flag issue has fueled opposition to the transfer of Northern inmates to a faraway prison in a Southwest Virginia locality that some see as a vestige to the days of slavery.
“You’re talking about the Civil War, and you’re getting ready to see some people out here on the battlefield who are not playing,” said Carolyn Nah, president of the NAACP chapter in Bridgeport, Conn.
Even with the memorabilia removed, Nah said, family members and advocates of Connecticut inmates are so concerned about conditions at Wallens Ridge that there are plans to bus opponents to Big Stone Gap for a protest outside the prison.
“[Young] may have taken down the visible signs, but the mental stuff is still there,” Nah said, referring to what she and others call an undercurrent of racism displayed by guards at Wallens Ridge.
“I’m concerned about the mindset there,” said Penn. During his visit to Wallens Ridge, the senator said, he was taken aback when he walked into Young’s office to find a roomful of Confederate memorabilia and a ball and chain on display.
Yet Traylor said Virginia officials “have yet to receive a formal complaint” from Connecticut lawmakers.
Young could not be reached for comment Tuesday. He was described by Traylor as a former history student and teacher who has collected Civil War memorabilia since the age of 7.
Although Connecticut officials looked to Virginia for a solution to its problems with prison overcrowding, the transfer of inmates to Wallens Ridge became controversial after reports of abuse began to surface.
Groups such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the ACLU’s National Prison Project have alleged that racially hostile guards use excessive force against inmates at Wallens Ridge and its twin supermax, Red Onion State Prison.
At the request of New Mexico’s attorney general, the FBI has begun an investigation into allegations that New Mexico inmates were mistreated after their transfer to Wallens Ridge last August.
In briefing New Mexico lawmakers, Corrections Secretary Rob Perry said last year that while there was no credible evidence of excessive force, he did have concerns that guards at Wallens Ridge may have used racial slurs against Hispanic and other minority inmates.
Human Rights Watch has asked the FBI to expand its probe to cover allegations at both Wallens Ridge and Red Onion. Jamie Fellner, associate counsel of the New York-based group, said her investigation found that guards use shotguns and stun guns “unnecessarily, dangerously and even maliciously.”
While some inmate complaints are common for any prison, Fellner said the “several hundred” letters she has received from inmates in Virginia’s supermaxes suggests a real problem that has so far gone ignored by correctional officials.
“We believe that human rights abuses flourish when those who engage in them do so with impunity,” Fellner wrote last month in a letter to Donald Thompson, special agent in charge of the Richmond FBI office.
An FBI representative confirmed recently that the department has received Fellner’s letter, but declined to say what action was taken as part of an ongoing investigation.
Virginia Department of Corrections Director Ron Angelone has said his correctional officers have used force only when necessary to control disruptive inmates, and that the practice of isolating the “worst of the worst” inmates in supermaxes has made other prisons safer.
While two legislative subcommittees and the Virginia Crime Commission have made inquiries since Fellner’s report was released last year, criticism of the supermax prisons has been somewhat muted within the state. Resolutions calling for a study of the supermaxes by the Joint Legislative Audit Review Committee were rejected by the General Assembly.
Most of the complaints have come from national groups such as Human Rights Watch and legislators from other states that export inmates to Virginia.
In addition to raising concerns about racism and excessive force, critics say a surplus of supermax beds has led Virginia prison officials to misplace less serious inmates in prisons designed to warehouse rather than rehabilitate.
“It’s fair to ask: “Why are these guys going down there?'” Lawlor said. With Connecticut officials as eager to relieve their overcrowding as Virginia is to fill its supermaxes, he said, “It’s not for security at all.”