RICHMOND, Va. — State lawmakers said they were "heated" and "frustrated" as they grilled the director of the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) over concerning conditions at Bon Air Juvenile Correctional Center. Bon Air is Virginia's only youth prison which houses over 160 young people who have been convicted of serious crimes, most of which involve violence against another person.

The Commission on Youth requested DJJ Director Amy Floriano to present before the body of lawmakers on Tuesday to respond to "disturbing reports" of incidents at the facility in recent months. Legislators wanted answers about extended lockdowns, staffing shortages, reports of residents lighting fires in the facility, a perceived lack of access to rehabilitative programming, and conditions of confinement for the youth in DJJ's custody.

“We’re hearing from parents and advocates that they're locked in there for a whole weekend in solitary confinement. That's not the practice that we want to see Bon Air adopt," said Senator Barbara Favola (D-Arlington), who chairs the commission.

The commission's meeting came just one day after multiple members of the Board of Juvenile Justice said they were also concerned about the ongoing, persistent allegations of safety issues and troublesome conditions and requested a more in-depth assessment of what's actually happening at the facility.

Floriano spent a good chunk of her presentation giving an overview of her department at large, explaining the process of how court-involved youth end up at Bon Air. The convictions of the population, she said, have grown increasingly violent and an overwhelming majority of residents have at least one mental health disorder.

She also showcased pictures of some of the programs and events at Bon Air, including one activity where the residents simulated a trip to Jamaica.

“They made their own passports, they decorated it to look like Jamaica, they had their little airplane that they came up with, and the food that they prepared was considered to be a Jamaican meal," Floriano said. "I think that some of the misconception is sometimes that the kids are always behind the door. These are the photographs of them not being behind the door."

But some lawmakers felt that Floriano was missing the point and avoiding the important topics they wanted to focus on.

“I’m a little heated and I’m a little upset that we’ve spent all this time doing an overview of the department when there are rumors, and we’re coming here today to figure out what’s going on at Bon Air," said Delegate Joshua Cole (D-Fredericksburg).

“I’m frustrated that until delegates and senators started interacting with this presentation, we spent 32 of your 42 minutes talking about things that have nothing to do with the safety and well-being of everyone who's at Bon Air," said Delegate Carrie Coyner (R-Chesterfield). "I look at the photos in your presentation, it's like people's social media accounts. They show you what you want to see."

Meanwhile, Senator David Suetterlein (R-Roanoke) said he was appreciative of Floriano's presentation and acknowledged she was in a challenging position.

"I also think that it's unfair to ask about something and dismiss why we would want to hear about any of the positive things happening there. It's obvious that there's tons of information here that the director is trying to share with us," Suetterlein said.

Delegate Coyner, whose district includes Chesterfield County where the facility is located, said she has met with county leaders to discuss the issues surrounding Bon Air.

When emergencies occur at Bon Air, local first responders are called for assistance, and a previous CBS 6 review of public records found multiple calls for service last year for repeated reports of residents starting fires in their units.

Coyner referenced a letter that Chesterfield Fire Chief Edward Senter sent to a state fire agency in March 2025 which stated the number of annual incidents at the facility requiring a fire and EMS response has more than doubled since 2023. Senter said the most concerning increases were reports of malicious sprinkler activations and intentionally set fires.

Just in the first three months of 2025, there have already been seven reports of intentionally set fires, which is already a higher number than what was reported in all of 2024.

Senter wrote that this pattern at Bon Air is "likely a symptom of much deeper issues at the facility that must be addressed by DJJ" and jeopardizes the safety of residents, staff, and the community.

“Every time our police and fire report, there's someone in Chesterfield County that also doesn't have somebody available on the other end of the line because they're at Bon Air," Coyner said.

Floriano said that there were only three residents responsible for lighting fires and added the sprinkler activations are "pervasive in any correctional facility."

"I think that that's kind of a win for the behaviors that these kids usually engage in. If that's the worst of the behavior that they are engaging in, then I think that we're expecting too much of them to come down too hard on nuisance behavior," Floriano said.

She said DJJ has responded to the fire incidents by removing the items that residents are using to start them. She said the incidents did not stem from a lack of staffing or supervision.

“Am I surprised that we have three youth in the facility that are starting fires? No. Again, we have a percentage of youth in there that are seeking behaviors. They have mental health issues that come along with them, and they engage in these types of behaviors," she said.

But in his letter, Senter said, he "questioned the logic of accepting such risks as a matter of doing business and allowing known juvenile fire setters to have access to ignition sources and combustibles, particularly in such a confined environment."

Multiple advocates, former employees, and parents of residents have reported extended periods of lockdowns that seem to occur frequently throughout the facility. A former staff member noted in an exit interview last year that the youth were "constantly locked down due to the staff shortage which is completely inhumane."

Floriano said since August 2023, there has been one facility-wide lockdown, five "modified lockdowns" which only applied to specific units, and five lockdowns that occurred due to quarterly searches. Additionally, there have been "administrative holds" in which residents were sent to their rooms for behavior issues. Floriano said youth will sometimes "qualify" an administrative hold as a lockdown.

Lockdowns can last for 24-48 hours, Floriano said, and during that time, residents do not have access to showers but are given "hygiene kits" instead.

“We do not prioritize using lockdowns. They can have administrative holds due to behavior, but on the other hand, I do have to make sure that the remaining children in my facility are safe if someone is not capable of managing their own behavior at that time," Floriano said.

But Coyner was uninterested in debating the differences in definitions between the types of lockdowns.

“I continue to be frustrated by saying something is not a lockdown when you're understaffed and kids cannot move about the facility because there was a lack of staffing which to every person would feel like is a lockdown," Coyner said. "So when you say there have only been ten lockdowns, fine, but we know the truth is probably, if we all have to sit and watch the videos in your facility for months on end, that kids were probably very limited."

Coyner said in a recent letter that she spoke with a former resident of Bon Air who was transferred to the Chesterfield County Jail after being charged with assaulting staff members at Bon Air. She said the resident alleged "that starting on Fridays at 4-5pm, they will likely be locked in their cells until Monday due to insufficient staffing to let them out" which "resulted in limits on phone calls to family, showers, recreation time and other opportunities for positive interactions."

When asked whether DJJ utilized solitary confinement Floriano said, "solitary confinement as a punishment is not something that we are using as punitive isolation. They are in their rooms occasionally due to behavioral issues."

Floriano was also asked about the recent news of a former correctional officer who was arrested for allegedly assaulting a juvenile resident in May of 2024. Chesterfield Police said 60-year-old Cedric Thomas has been charged with three counts of indecent liberties with a child by a custodian and one count of object sexual penetration.

Floriano said he was "an individual who'd been with the agency for a substantial part of time." Court records revealed Thomas has since retired from DJJ and is receiving a monthly retirement check from the state. DJJ said Thomas' retirement was approved before the conclusion of its internal investigation.

After learning of the allegations from the victim, Floriano said DJJ "did exactly what we should do."

"We immediately made the CPS complaint, we immediately interviewed her, we immediately took her for an evaluation, and we immediately worked with the facility once we were able to identify who the suspect was," she said. "Those are actions that happen behind closed doors and in situations where we have to rely on the child feeling comfortable to disclose to us. And I do think it's a win to my facility, even with the allegations and the perceptions on safety, that this child at this time felt safe enough in the facility to disclose what had happened to her."

Floriano said she believed there were more victims and that "that behavior has allegedly, potentially happened numerous times over the past 20 years."

Floriano acknowledged that a lack of staffing is the "biggest problem" facing her agency.

While lawmakers requested specific data on exactly how understaffed Bon Air is, Floriano declined to disclose that information. DJJ has also previously declined to disclose that data in response to CBS 6 public records requests.

When asked by Senator Favola whether the facility was "woefully understaffed," Floriano said the facility is at "critical staffing."

Floriano said staffing concerns were a "historic issue" dating back to 2016 and that it's an area where legislative assistance would be helpful.

"We've been very clear and very vocal requesting raises. We've presented in front of Senate Finance multiple times, I think both in 2023 and in 2024, about our staffing situation," she said. "At some point, it's beyond our control, and we need some assistance and some support in that area."

The agency has taken some recent steps to try and bolster staffing including special pay incentives for security workers, a campaign to hire 100 new employees, and community recruitment events.

Commission member Mackenzie Babichenko, the Hanover Commonwealth's Attorney, was sympathetic to the challenges of hiring more correctional officers.

"The entire criminal justice system has been suffering a shortage in staffing. Prosecutors are feeling it, and it's a national issue. It's not just Virginia. It's not just prosecutors. It's law enforcement, it's probation officers, it's corrections specialists," Babichenko said. "We need to have a full conversation about that, specifically with recruitment and retention, and how do we get good people to be in these roles? If we don't do that, then none of the rest of the conversation even matters."

Ultimately, the commission voted unanimously to send a letter to Governor Glenn Youngkin requesting an independent investigation, something at least one Board of Juvenile Justice member has suggested since November 2024.

The board's vice chair Scott Kizner reiterated his call for a third-party review of the facility on Monday and said he felt DJJ was "hesitant" toward the idea.

When Floriano was pressed by lawmakers about why she'd have reservations about an independent investigation, she said many claims about Bon Air have contained vague details and have been nonspecific. She also questioned whether an outside group would be able to access confidential information about juveniles.

“I can't study something without the details of what it is, right? And that's the point that we're in. I am prevented by [state law] from discussing the specific details of a youth case. So even if we do an investigative study, who's going to do that that can have access to this information?” Floriano said. "If I have specifics, and someone will give me specifics, I'm absolutely going to investigate that."

In response, Favola said, "Yes, there are some specifics. You certainly have confidentiality rules you have to abide by. There's also some structural and systemic issues that can be looked at from an organizational standpoint that would benefit from an independent investigative authority."

Senator Dave Marsden (D-Fairfax) said he supported an investigation but also floated the idea of considering legislation that would bring DJJ under the purview of a newly created ombudsman tasked with investigating allegations regarding adult correctional centers.

Senator Suetterlein, who seemed the most skeptical of the allegations surrounding Bon Air, also supported the request for an investigation but cautioned others from jumping to conclusions without first gathering the facts.

"I think that we should allow more time for the director to share things today. I don't think it was as good to move through this quickly," he said.

DJJ has brought in external reviews before, including a 2024 safety and culture assessment which identified at the time overwhelmed and unsatisfied employees who felt unsafe along with youth experiencing "high levels of idleness and boredom" and an "abundant lack of meaningful engagement."

Kizner said, to his knowledge, that report was not discussed among the Board of Juvenile Justice.

“And it seems like we're dismissive when we get a report that says you could do better, and I believe we could do better, but I believe even the best could do better. So we'll see what happens," Kizner told CBS 6 Monday.

DJJ also recently engaged the Department of Planning and Budget to complete an assessment of the facility's psychological services. CBS 6 requested the report through a Freedom of Information Act request, but the department withheld it, citing a public records exemption that protects mandatory disclosure of working papers of the governor.

CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. .