CHESAPEAKE, Va. — A Chesapeake corrections officer has joined a federal lawsuit seeking court oversight of Virginia's prison system, alleging dangerous understaffing conditions that put both inmates and officers at risk.
Anthony Kellam works at Indian Creek Correctional Center and is part of the legal action that claims systemic problems throughout the state's correctional system. According to the lawsuit, Kellam was ordered to ignore an inmate's medical emergency during a head count, and the inmate died later that day.
The lawsuit alleges that Kellam was subsequently disciplined for seeking legal counsel during an investigation related to the incident.
The federal case also includes the widow of a corrections officer who was in November at a correctional facility in Grayson County, highlighting ongoing safety concerns within the prison system.
The lawsuit seeks federal court intervention to address what plaintiffs describe as dangerous understaffing levels that compromise safety for both inmates and correctional staff across Virginia's prison facilities.
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