Civil suit over conditions at Red Onion Prison settled before federal trial

Attorneys with the ACLU representing multiple inmates at Wise County’s Red Onion supermax prison have announced a settlement to a civil suit with the Virginia Department of Corrections, citing unfit conditions including exceeding standards of solitary confinement beyond 15 days.

Invasive cavity searches, physical abuse, racial harassment, and denial of showers, food, and physical activity were cited in the civil suit filed seven years ago and was set to go to trial in Abingdon this week.

An inmate death at Red Onion in 2025 classified as a homicide remains under investigation by Wise County officials.

(FILE PHOTO)