Sussex I State Prison

Last updated
Sussex I State Prison
Sussex I State Prison
Location24414 Musselwhite Drive
Waverly, Virginia
Statusopen
Security classmaximum / mixed
Capacity1139
Opened1998
Managed by Virginia Department of Corrections
Warden Kemsy Bowles [1]

Sussex I State Prison is a prison of the Virginia Department of Corrections located in unincorporated Sussex County, Virginia, [2] near Waverly. [3] It is adjacent to Sussex II State Prison, which lies to its northwest, just across Mussellwhite Drive.

Contents

The prison, a maximum security facility, opened in May 1998. [4] It serves as an intake facility. [5] It housed the state death row for men from the time it was moved from Mecklenburg Correctional Center in August, 1998 until the abolition of the death penalty in July, 2021. The actual execution chamber was at the Greensville Correctional Center. [6]

Security Concerns

In 2020, VADOC discovered that inmates at both Sussex I and Sussex II state prisons were able to jam their cell doors -- which allowed them to leave their cells without staff approval. This resulted in the cell doors not being able to close properly, which was identified as an immediate safety hazard. The agency commenced on a project to replace all cell doors in the facilities at a cost of $13.6 million dollars. In the meanwhile, each cell door was secured with a keyed padlock on a temporary basis with additional staff assigned to the cell house for the purposes of being able to unlock the cells in the event of a fire emergency in the unit. [7] The installed temporary locking procedures were deemed in compliance by the Virginia State Fire Marshal's Office during a surprise inspection of Sussex I State Prison on March 23, 2022. [8]

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References

  1. ↑ "Facilities and Offices". Virginia Department of Corrections. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  2. ↑ "2020 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Sussex County, VA" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. p. 1 (PDF p. 2/12). Retrieved 2022-08-14. Sussex I State Prison
  3. ↑ Edds, Margaret. "OFFICER BRUTALITY: 30,000 REASONS FOR PRISON OVERSIGHT < FROM DEATH ROW AT THE NEW SUSSEX I STATE PRISON NEAR WAKEFIELD COMES A TALE THAT, IF TRUE, WOULD RIVAL THE NEWS FROM NEW YORK." The Virginian-Pilot . May 30, 1999. Commentary J5. Retrieved on January 4, 2013. "And from death row at the new Sussex I state prison near Wakefield comes a tale that, if true, would rival the news from New York[..]"
  4. ↑ "DOC Appoints New Warden at Sussex I State Prison." Virginia Department of Corrections. March 9, 2006. Retrieved on January 4, 2012.
  5. ↑ "Sussex I State Prison." Virginia Department of Corrections. Retrieved on January 4, 2012.
  6. ↑ "Greensville Correctional Center/Greensville Work Center (major male institution)." Virginia Department of Corrections. Retrieved on January 4, 2012.
  7. ↑ Green, Frank (19 February 2020). "Jamming of cell doors at two Va. prisons prompts safety concerns and will cost $13.6 million". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  8. ↑ "Temporary Locks at Sussex Prison Complex Verified Safe, VADOC in Compliance with All Requirements". Virginia Department of Corrections. Retrieved 16 February 2024.

37°03′08″N77°12′20″W / 37.05222°N 77.20556°W / 37.05222; -77.20556


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