RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - All women inmates in Virginia will soon be housed in the central region of the state in what prison officials are calling a "gender responsivity plan."
The Virginian-Pilot reports that the move comes after several women died in state prisons this year, including three this summer at the Fluvanna Correctional Center for Women. In a news release, the Department of Corrections did not connect the plan with the inmates' deaths.
DOC spokeswoman Lisa Kinney said the state wants to have all female inmates housed under one administrative team so the same team works on nutrition, programming and other prison issues. The project will include increased vocational training for female offenders and gender responsive training for staff.
Kinney did not respond to questions about how many people would be moved.
