Potential overdoses, death at privately run Lawrenceville prison spur state investigation

The Virginia Department of Corrections is investigating a rash of potential overdoses and a death at the privately run Lawrenceville Correctional Center in Brunswick County.

Christopher Ferreira, a spokesperson for The GEO Group, the prison operator, confirmed Wednesday that one inmate died on Aug. 6 after prison staff “observed several inmates who appeared to be lethargic and unresponsive.”

“Medical assistance was immediately called and the affected inmates were administered emergency care to stabilize their condition before being transported to the local hospital as a precautionary measure,” he wrote in an email.

Ferreira said the matter “is currently under investigation by the Virginia Department of Corrections.”

“GEO considers the health and safety of those entrusted to our care to be our primary mission and we will take any and all necessary steps to ensure that the circumstances surrounding this tragic situation are promptly and thoroughly addressed,” he said.

The apparent overdoses were first publicly flagged Tuesday night by the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy, a nonprofit that advocates for racial, social, and economic justice.