‘How do you get hypothermia in a prison?’ Records show hospitalizations among Virginia inmates

By SARAH RANKIN
Associated Press

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A lawsuit over a Virginia prison inmate’s death has raised broader questions about conditions at the lockup and newly obtained records are providing further insights. The Marion Correctional Treatment Center houses predominantly mentally ill offenders. Records obtained by The Associated Press show inmates there were hospitalized for hypothermia at least 13 times in three years. They also show medical providers expressed concern about temperatures and one inmate described ice forming on toilet water. In the pending lawsuit, a judge has paved the way for further discovery over records relating to hypothermia and cold exposure. The Department of Corrections has refused to comment on the AP’s findings, citing the pending litigation.