RICHMOND, Va. — Richmond Sheriff Antionette Irving avoided answering CBS 6's questions after state officials declined to release her jail from a two-year oversight plan that was expected to expire this month.
On Wednesday, Sheriff Irving appeared before the Virginia Board of Local and Regional Jails, a state body that oversees jails and investigates inmate deaths, to discuss a compliance plan she's been under for the past two years.
Irving entered into the agreement with the board in November 2023 following a string of deaths that occurred at the Richmond City Jail in 2022-2023.
Through an investigation into the circumstances in three of those deaths, the board determined Irving's jail violated inmate supervision standards, which require deputies to perform security rounds twice per hour, document all inspections, and ensure they can view inmates and housing areas without obstructions.
In response to those findings, the board directed Irving to make several improvements including automating the security rounds system, strengthening internal auditing procedures, and training officers.
But two years later, the board seemingly is still not confident that Irving has fully satisfied the requirements of the plan. On Wednesday, the board voted to extend the compliance plan for another six months.
In doing so, several board members pointed to even more recent violations of inmate supervision regulations, which is what led to this compliance plan in the first place.
"I feel like we should extend, because our team found some issues and it gives [the sheriff's office] the opportunity to further work through the kinks and get things worked out," said board member Roland Sherrod.
One of those repeat violations occurred during the board's investigation into a March 2025 inmate death. That's when inmate Demario White died due to a drug overdose, according to the medical examiner's office. CBS 6 previously spoke to White's family, who said the sheriff's office gave them limited information about the incident.
“Him being in the city jail, I’m thinking, ‘He’s alright.’ I know he ain't in the street nowhere. I know he’s in the city jail. I know he’s alright. Then I get a phone call saying he’s gone," White's mother Willnette Noble told CBS 6. "Nobody's telling me nothing."
In speaking to the board about that case, Irving did not disclose exactly what the problem was, but she suggested a security round possibly wasn't done because her staff were responding to an emergency at the time. The board's jail death investigator said while he did note that emergency in his report about the case, there were "other issues with the rounds," but he did not go into further detail.
Then, there was an August 2025 inspection that, according to board staff, resulted in another violation of inmate supervision standards. During a tour of the facility, inspectors observed so-called "campsites" set up in housing areas where inmates pulled blankets over their beds, blocking the view of security when making rounds. Additionally, inspectors cited multiple rounds that were missed during a review of documentation of security checks.
In response to that inspection, Irving told board members she terminated the deputies who did not conduct their rounds and instructed staff to take down blankets when doing rounds.
“Do you feel your jail has been compliant with the compliance plan in light of the two [inmate supervision] violations?” board member Joe McLaughlin asked Irving.
“Pretty much we have," she responded.
Irving explained while she has taken steps to modernize her security system as required by the compliance plan, the jail is still partly relying on paper to document rounds, which prompted several questions from board members.
Her compliance plan stated she was expected to use an automated security rounds system within five months of initiation of the plan.
“Hopefully by the first of the year we'll cut the paper out, but I just want to feel totally comfortable that things are being done the way they need to be done," Irving said.
Irving ultimately told the board she had "pause" about the board's decision to extend the plan by another six months but said she felt confident the facility would be fully compliant by that point.
CBS 6 attempted to ask Irving about the continued issues at the jail and the controversial incident at a Turnstile concert in September where a deputy pepper sprayed a fan. She previously declined to release the results of an internal investigation into that incident or answer specific questions about it.
Here's a transcript of CBS 6 reporter Tyler Layne's attempt to question Irving:
Layne: "Hi Sheriff Irving"
Irving: "Hello. I’m not having any comments at this time."
Layne: “Why? Can we just ask you about the compliance plan and also the Turnstile concert incident?”
Irving: “No sir."
Layne: “Why not?”
Irving: “You already got me on mic."
Layne: “Well can — why not?”
Irving: “Not at this time, Tyler.”
Layne: “Well when would be a good time?”
Irving: “I’m not sure right at this moment, Tyler.”
Layne: “You don’t want to talk about what happened here today? Or the pepper spray incident? Nothing?”
Irving: “Tyler, we just talked about the compliance plan.”
Layne: “I know but I just wanted to ask you some questions about it.”
Irving: “I just talked about it, Tyler.”
Henrico jail released from compliance plan
Henrico County Sheriff Alisa Gregory also appeared before the board Wednesday to address a similar compliance plan that Henrico Jail West has been under since 2023 due to undisclosed incidents that resulted in a violation of inmate supervision requirements.
Gregory too was directed to automate her jail's security rounds system, strengthen internal auditing procedures, and train officers.
While addressing her compliance plan, Gregory told the board the jail has implemented a new inmate tracking and facility management system which are "fully operational." She added the new systems have helped minimize the "duplicity of paper and pen and writing things two and three times, to be able to keep the documentation and having everything streamlined in one system easily to be pulled out."
"This process brought forth and allowed us some opportunities to really move full speed ahead with some technology enhancements that have managed to kind of offset the current trend that all of us are experiencing with staff shortages," Gregory told the board.
After updating the board about her jail's implementation of the compliance plan, board members had no questions for Gregory and voted to release Henrico Jail West from the agreement.
Along with closing out the compliance plan, the board also voted to close two jail death cases. The details of those cases were not disclosed.
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