The state’s top prison official criticized reports that the self-burnings at Red Onion State Prison, which has had a history of complaints, were in protest of poor conditions.
At least six inmates at a Virginia prison burned themselves using “improvised devices” in recent months, prompting renewed concerns about conditions for incarcerated people there and a call by some state lawmakers for an independent investigation.
Chadwick Dotson, the director of the Virginia Department of Corrections, criticized reports that said the burnings had been in protest of poor conditions at the facility, Red Onion State Prison, in Wise County, Va.
Mr. Dotson said in a statement on Wednesday that the inmates had burned themselves using “improvised devices” that were made by tampering with electrical outlets. The inmates did not set themselves on fire or immolate themselves, he added. He did not elaborate on the improvised devices they used.
Some inmates were treated for burns at a hospital, he said, and others did not need outside medical treatment.
“All six inmates have been referred to mental health staff for treatment, and it should be noted that several of these inmates have a history of engaging in self-harm,” he said.
Mr. Dotson issued the statement after the burnings were covered in news reports, including by Radio IQ, a Virginia public radio station, and addressed by human rights groups and politicians. Prison Radio, which broadcasts dispatches by incarcerated people, brought attention to the cases in October.
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