Red Onion inmates burned themselves over prison conditions: What action state leaders are taking now WISE COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- Kevin "Rashid" Johnson was one of the first hundred men at Red Onion State Prison when it opened in Wise County in 1998. He was housed there for 18 years before being trans ferred and was most recently there again until December. He was transferred shortly after allegations surfaced of inmates burning themselves. Johnson says the burnings and his experience show why Red Onion State Prison, Virginia's only supermax prison, has faced claims of mistreatment and abuse for decades. "The conditions at Red Onion are -- it's pretty brutal," said Johnson. (Photo Courtesy: Virginia Department of Corrections) The Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC) was first back in the spotlight in November 2024 after claims about the inmate burnings from the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus (VLBC). In November, the VLBC claimed twelve men set themselves on fire in response to “degrading and inhumane conditions," like physical and racial abuse, excessive stays in solitary confinement and officers provoking violent dog attacks. But the VADOC said between March and October 2024, six inmates, not 12, burned themselves using “improvised devices” to tamper with electrical outlets. The VADOC then confirmed to 8News that another inmate did the same in January. The VADOC said they did not light themselves on fire in all seven current cases. Johnson said he talked one of those inmates.   "He said, ‘I set myself on fire.’ I was like, ‘why? Wha- wha- what's going on,'" Johnson said. "He explained to me, he was like, ‘the conditions here-- I can’t, I can’t, I can’t do my time here."     The first six inmates burned themselves to get transferred out of Red Onion, confirmed VADOC Director Chadwick Dotson in a December public safety meeting. And the VADOC confirmed all seven men burned themselves using electrical outlets, actions prison leaders called "ludicrous." While the state is now investigating the allegations, the VADOC maintains the prison is safe for inmates. Johnson is one of three men who have served time at Red Onion in the 27 years it's been open, who talked to 8News about their experiences. They all say they understand how the conditions they experienced may have led the seven men to burn themselves. "This is not new, right," Hassan Shabazz said, who was there from 2001 to 2003 for armed robbery. "Though this may be new to some people, this is not a new issue." He said degradation from the guards became normalized. John, who requested anonymity, was there from 2017 until late 2018 for a sexual assault he committed at 14 years old, but wasn't charged for until he was 18, and spent nearly eight years in prison. He once wrote to his mom that he went without a shower for 30 days.   "The lack of showers and overall dirtiness of the place has caused me quite a few sores on my arms and chest," he wrote. He still has scars from the sores. In September, emails 8News obtained between two top Red Onion officials, Chief of Security Johnny Hall and Dwayne Turner, the men stated the prison should prevent transfers for inmates burning themselves and make them pay for resulting medical care.   Emails obtained by 8News of Red Onion officials saying they should make inmates pay for burn medical treatments. Dotson called the claims about Red Onion's conditions "bad faith efforts" from "advocacy groups who pursue prison abolition."    The DOC said all seven inmates were referred for mental health treatment.     "There are no conditions that they’re truly protesting other than being up in the mountains and away from their family and friends," Dotson said during the public safety meeting. "And it being harder for them to manipulate staff and harder for them to smuggle in contraband.”    But former inmates like John said the conditions are harsh, with little support to navigate release.  "The Department of Corrections didn’t really give me many resources," he said. "I had to rely on the people that I knew."  And at a January rally in front of the Capitol building to close Red Onion, a crowd of around 50 braved the cold, and held signs chanting to "shut them down." At the rally, Shabazz said he thinks solitary confinement also creates a barrier to re-entry into society, and may have contributed to inmates burning themselves.   "I can understand those guys saying I needed medical treatment, and they didn’t care for me, so I had to burn myself in order to get off of this place, or just to escape the conditions of confinement," he said.   A rally at the Capitol, calling state leaders to shut Red Onion down. "Beatings are constant, especially in solitary," Johnson said. "They like to beat prisoners when they’re handcuffed and shackled. Now, I’d like to specify that the DOC likes to say they don’t use solitary confinement- they don’t have solitary confinement. It is solitary confinement.” Johnson, who said he spent 18 years in Red Onion solitary, is referring to the 2023 Virginia law prohibiting solitary confinement. It directs state facilities to instead use what’s called "Restorative Housing," which mandates a minimum of four hours per day of out-of-cell time.  Dotson has said Restorative Housing is used to de-escalate behavioral issues for an average of nine days to two weeks.    But the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which sued the DOC in 2017 over its use of solitary confinement and K-9 intimidation, said in the December public safety meeting, not enough has changed.   "The conditions there are incredibly harsh and harmful," ACLU senior staff attorney Geri Greenspan said.  John echoed the same concern. "Just kind of heartbreaking to know that not much has changed," John said.   John said he wishes a third party would investigate the prison, rather than someone who works for the state, making sure the conditions are humane. This currently falls under VADOC's jurisdiction.   John and Shabazz have both been released from prison and are trying to move on from their time at Red Onion.  Shabazz was released in 2022 and is now the co-founder of the Prisoners’ Rights Clinic, providing paralegal services and helping people navigate the prison system. He said he regularly writes men currently in Red Onion. "The persistence, you know, accumulation of pressure over years, right, it becomes this monster that you don’t know how to deal with," Shabazz said.    Johnson, who's serving a life sentence, said he's working to ensure those who do leave prison., rejoin society without the weight of those monsters.    “A lot of people ask me that, ask me how I survived solitary all those years 'cause I did 18 years straight in Virginia," he said. “I don’t know. I just have that- that type of will, I guess. I don’t know."    After declining five interview requests, on February 7, the DOC said Red Onion is in compliance with the American Correctional Association’s standards, providing “effective incarceration, supervision and evidence-based re-entry services.”     The state is now tasked with investigating the DOC further. The DOC maintains Red Onion is safe for inmates, and recently invited lawmakers to see for themselves.  ...read more read less