Virginia’s relatively new prison inspector, Andrea Sapone, left a community forum escorted by a Virginia Capitol Police officer after the meeting teetered out of control.

The meeting, held at the Patrick Henry Building in Richmond, was a scheduled “public stakeholder meeting” designed for the newly formed Corrections Ombudsman’s office to hear feedback regarding the Virginia Department of Corrections. Lawyers with the ACLU, not-for-profit groups supporting prison reform, and family members of inmates spoke at a podium and explained their problems with the Department of Corrections.

Many complaints focused on conditions at Red Onion State Prison, one of two supermax facilities designed to house Virginia prisoners with the highest security concerns. Speakers also alleged abuse at Wallens R

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