HARDTIME VIRGINIA Spring 2025 Vol. 10 No. 1
(an occasional newsletter by and for the incarcerated)
Excerpts From The Editor’s Mailbox (edited for brevity and clarity)
“I have been suffering from Long Covid and recently from congestive heart failure due to being taken off the Lasix my pulmonary doctor had ordered. I was at the hospital for a week and was feeling good when I came back to the facility. Then the Lasix that the hospital sent with me was kept from me for two days and I filled back up with fluid. The Nurse Practitioner ordered that I be given 40 mg of Lasix, but when she saw me the next day and I was still filled with fluid, she sent me to another hospital. They gave me a Lasix injection but not my KOP Lasix.
“Meanwhile my aging friend, who is blind, is lying in the infirmary here waiting to die, along with others. Very sad. And my aging mother really needs me to help take of her, so I’m praying for a long awaited parole release after decades in prison.” - Charles Zellers, Sr., Deerfield C.C.
“Instead of wasting millions on hired labor for unnecessary, oppressive ‘security measures’ the VADOC should be using the willing skilled labor available to create a campus community with adult literacy programs, music and art programs, and critical thinking and leadership classes, all of which are proven to help break the cycle. Adding 21st century based vocational training like IT and coding would likewise be wise to supplement the existing HVAC and electrician classes which are the only real blue collar job training options.” - David Annarelli, Lawrenceville C. C.
“What got me in prison initially was one count of armed robbery, one count of attempted armed robbery and two counts of use of a gun, for which I was given a sentence of 13 years. This was in 1980. What Virginia is using to keep me in solitary confinement is that in my early years of imprisonment my response to the corruption and barbarity of the Virginia prison officers was to get physical with them, as in a 1996 incident when I and a couple of guys took a number of prison guards hostage and a couple of nurses as a statement against conditions at the prison, all of which has added a total of 80 years to my time. Yes, criminal convictions are criminal convictions, but I can say I never physically harmed anyone. All of my convictions are as a black man against a savage and dehumanizing system.”
- William Thorpe, now in solitary confinement in Texas
“On the day before my birthday two officers came to my pod and told me to pack up for a transfer. I was told that my DOC time was over and I was being sent to a jail. My mind was blown. Did the courts release me? Did some kind of good time bill cut my time? I quickly picked up the property I would need at the jail. We had just received canteen items, but I figured my friends could celebrate my good fortune so I blessed them with it. That night I hardly slept. At around 9 am on my birthday the transportation officer picked me up. The jail was less than an hour away, but then I was told I was going to a different prison. “No, I am not,” I protested. My DOC time is over and I’m to go to a local jail.” “Not according to this,” the officer said, as she looked at the paper work. I was numb. I asked why they would do this to me and she said, “I have no idea.” About a month later my counselor sent an email admitting she had made a mistake. No apology, No accountability. No excuse. The problem of getting an ombudsman involved is that if you write stuff up using a grievance process you will likely face retaliation.”
- anonymous prisoner
One Parole Release in January, None In February or March
In a recent visit to Lawrenceville Correctional Center Parole Board Chair Patricia West made it clear that she will never agree to grant parole in cases where individuals have committed serious violent crimes. Period. This in spite of its mission to do for “those whose release is compatible with public safety.” This also assumes that the Department of Corrections is incapable of “correcting” the individuals it incarcerates, and that the DOC is primarily a “Department of Punishment.”
Jonathan White and a friend at Lawrenceville are proposing legislation that would require the board to base their decisions on clearly defined criteria as outlined in a 14-point “Inmate Parole Criteria Score Sheet.” The following is from their introduction to the proposed legislation:
In Virginia parole has always been recognized as a societal good by all political parties for prisoners who have demonstrated rehabilitation and pro-social positive behavior. The parole system is a reflection of the penal system functioning as an institution of reform and transformation of individuals.
However the current board’s decision making has resulted in the lowest parole grant in the history of Virginia, not a mark of distinction. For the year 2024 the grant rate was a scant .5%, a mere 16 people… In total, approximately 3,200 of 24,000 women and men are parole eligible under existing law.
The main reason for the abysmal parole rate, contrary to most people’s beliefs, is that the Board has no standard criteria for parole. Each member has their own voting concept. So for the five members there are five unknown criteria each prisoner has to overcome.
So how can the General Assembly fix the current parole voting system and ensure public safety? The answer is to release individuals who have demonstrated rehabilitation and have transformed their lives and that they will be successful returning citizens.
We need elected officials to radically change the Board’s decision-making process by passing a law that establishes a viable Static voting Criteria the Board must adhere to, one that establishes justice with fairness. The current board’s modus operandi was established in the 1940’s and is akin to boilerplate language, “Not Grant,” “Seriousness of the Crime,” etc.
All crimes are serious but these continuous decisions undermine the idea of true criminal justice reform, rehabilitation and fairness.
The common sense attached amended C.O.V. 53.1-134.2 establishes a Compulsory Parole Criteria the Board must follow:
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
That the code of Virginia is amended by adding a section numbered 53.1-134.2 as follows:
53.1-134.2 Parole Board compulsory voting requirements: parole criteria.
(this is followed by a four-page text of the bill and a 14 item score sheet)
Feel free to contact Jonathan White 1161021 at LCC, 1607 Planters Road, Lawrenceville, VA 23868 with your comments or questions. ********************************************************
Harvey Yoder, editor, Valley Justice Coalition, P.O. Box 434, Harrisonburg, VA 22803
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