RICHMOND, Va. -- Richmond Sheriff Antionette Irving spoke with CBS 6 for the first time since her jail was cited with multiple state violations in connection to investigations into a string of inmate deaths.
Last month, CBS 6 reported that the state board that oversees local jails determined the Richmond City Justice Center needed to be placed under a compliance plan due to the number of inmate death investigations that identified issues with regulatory standards.
In the course of its review of recent jail deaths, the Board of Local and Regional Jails (BOLRJ) found that the Richmond City Jail consistently failed to adhere to the state standards that govern the supervision of inmates.
The board found that Sheriff Irving's Office did not conduct a minimum of two security inspections of inmate housing areas per hour and did not document all inspections and unusual incidents.
The findings contrast what Irving said in previous interviews when she assured that her jail was in compliance with supervision regulations.
"We're able to do our checks twice an hour," Irving said during a press conference following an inmate death on January 11, 2023.
“We’re doing our twice-an-hour checks as we are responsible for throughout the regulations," Sheriff Irving again told CBS 6 in an interview on April 25, 2023.
CBS 6 reporter Tyler Layne caught up with Irving following a Richmond City Council public safety committee meeting on Tuesday to ask about that.
“You probably remember last year when I was asking you some of these questions about supervision and whether you guys were doing the required checks. You repeatedly said yes, right? Do you remember that? However, the investigation found that wasn’t true," Layne said.
“Well, I’ll say this. [The Department of Corrections] came and did inspections, and during their inspections, and they saw the same things that I saw. So into deeper investigations, the more you look, the more you find, and you can see if there are any discrepancies. DOC has come every year I've been there, and we've gotten 100% certifications," Irving responded.
"But those audits didn't specifically investigate the deaths, right? Like that was more overall procedural operations of the facility," Layne asked.
"They looked into deaths and then the other audits came in to look at what happens every day. And the everyday things contribute to or the lack of what goes on in facilities," Irving said.
In its investigation findings, the board said Irving needed to train her jail officers about the consequences of forging public records as it relates to documenting security checks. The board's executive director declined to definitely answer CBS 6's question as to whether deputies were forging jail records – only reiterating that training was needed in this area.
However, Irving explained the issue as minor discrepancies on security logs. She said the reason the security rounds were flagged was because the times that deputies recorded for completing a round of inmate checks did not exactly match up with when deputies actually did the checks.
“When you read the report, it appears that your deputies were forging public records," Layne said.
“Well, I have no comment on that particular part of it… My only comments are that the timings-- there were some discrepancies with times, and we’re working to ensure there are no longer discrepancies in time," Irving said.
"So you can't comment on whether they were forging their checks?" Layne asked.
"I'm not going to comment on that," Irving restated.
BOLRJ's investigation left it open-ended as to whether these supervision violations were directly linked to the cause of recent inmate deaths. The board did not decide one way or the other.
“Basically what we’re saying is the same thing that they’re saying. At this particular time, there’s nothing that correlates whether [violations] contributed or not contributed [to the deaths]," Irving told CBS 6.
“But you can’t confidently say that your jail was *not responsible for the deaths that occurred last year?” Layne asked.
“I’m not going to speak on that, because these are all active cases," Irving said.
During the meeting, Irving said her jail is currently facing 191 staff vacancies out of 385 total positions-- a number that hasn't improved in a year's time.
During a public safety committee meeting in January 2023, Irving said she had about 170 deputy vacancies at the time.
Currently, she said between 17 to 25 deputies will work a shift at any given time, responsible for monitoring the jail's nearly 500 inmates.
Irving added ongoing measures are underway to address the problems identified through the BOLRJ's investigation including additional officer training, additional monitoring and oversight, and installing electronic systems for tracking security logs.
She also pleaded with council members to show her more support – directing comments to Councilwoman Reva Trammell, who chairs the public safety committee.
Trammell has been publicly critical of Irving and the jail over the past year and has criticized Irving during committee meetings on multiple occasions.
"I need you guys to support us. Support us as the chair of the committee. I need you guys to do that. When there's a problem, let's not make it anything bigger than it needs to be. But I need the support of this committee. I need the support of this city's leadership. I need that. There are agencies right now that's going through more than what we're going through, and you never hear anything about it. Why? Because their leadership supports them," Irving told the committee.
Trammell did not want to hear it, and the two engaged in a tense discussion.
"I don't want you to stand there and basically say we're not doing our part. We have given you everything that you have asked for," Trammell responded. "Do sit there or stand there and say we are at fault or we're blaming you for something. You are the sheriff and you're running to jail, not us."
Following the meeting, Irving told CBS 6 she does not appreciate continuously showing up to these meetings to be chastised.
"I don't think our staff would appreciate that back and forth," Irving said. "And it's not fair to them for that type of interaction to happen every time I come to a public safety meeting. Every time."
This is a developing story, so anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.
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