Director Chad Dotson’s Message on the Importance of the Virginia ...

Agency News

Director Chad Dotson's Message on the Importance of the Virginia Model

September 08, 2025

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA - Recently, we gathered at Lawrenceville Correctional Center (LVCC) to celebrate one year of state operations at LVCC, which had previously been operated by a private company. When the VADOC took over Lawrenceville on August 1, 2024, we were hopeful that a first of its kind approach to corrections in Virginia was here to stay.

The Virginia Model was created to improve safety and security for the VADOC's corrections team and inmate population. By showing accountability and continuously behaving well, inmates can become eligible for Virginia Model facilities and all the benefits they offer. If the inmate refuses to behave or show personal accountability, they are removed immediately. Incentives don't work unless they are paired with swift sanctions.

As a former circuit court judge and former chairman of the Virginia Parole Board, among many other criminal justice roles, I have always believed in the power of accountability. People need to have the opportunity, resources, and support structure to turn their lives around, but they must also improve through personal accountability. The Virginia Model gives inmates the opportunity to improve their prison sentences through accountability.

Inmates at the new-and-improved Lawrenceville Correctional Center were allowed access to benefits such as:

• An expanded food menu
• Upgraded mattresses
• Additional programming opportunities
• Inmate-led workshops and groups (just like the podcast I mentioned earlier)
• Extended Visitation
• Access to Additional Resources

The inmates who were eligible for a transfer to Lawrenceville had to be free of major convictions for the past four years and show no recent history of drug use, assaults, or behaviors that threatened safety.

You might be asking why we put the Virginia Model in place. The answer is that our corrections system is widely regarded as a model for the United States and countries across the globe, but safety is too vital for the VADOC to be satisfied with the status quo. The VADOC's top priority is the safety and security of our corrections team and inmate population. Safety at Lawrenceville has greatly improved since the Virginia Model took effect.

Between the program's start date and June 14, 2025, the facility experienced a:

• 100% reduction in confirmed drug overdoses and drug overdose deaths
• 100% reduction in serious assaults on inmates
• 100% reduction in total fights
• 94% reduction in positive drug tests
• 75% reduction in cell phone seizures

Thanks to this success, we are expanding the Virginia Model. Starting Monday, September 1, the Virginia Model will be in effect at Buckingham Correctional Center, Dillwyn Correctional Center, and Cluster S1 at Greensville Correctional Center. I thank our corrections team for their dedication to the program's expansion this summer, including the transfer of eligible inmates to these new Virginia Model facilities.

I want as many inmates as possible to strive to become eligible for the benefits that Virginia Model facilities provide. I urge family members to speak with their loved ones and encourage them to either begin or continue to hold themselves accountable.

All of our agency's facilities truly make up the Virginia Model. Inmates who are not eligible will continue to be housed at the security level necessary to ensure public safety for all Virginians. Our agency will also continue to offer effective, evidence-based education and programming to continue our great reentry success. We hope to continue the success of the Virginia Model. It improves the safety of our great Commonwealth when inmates show accountability and continued good behavior.

That is a win for our corrections team. That is a win for inmates. Most importantly, this is a win for everyone who lives, works in, or raises a family in Virginia.