1st Prison with Videophone

Deaf inmates in Virginia will get access to a videophone and interpreters as part of a settlement with the Powhatan Correctional Center. This will make the Richmond-area Center the first major prison in the country to have a videophone. Until the settlement, Powhatan had only been providing an interpreter once a week for more than a dozen deaf inmates. This meant the prisoners were not able to take part in educational programs and had limited communication with prison staff and medical personnel. The lawsuit filed by inmates also complained that they did not have adequate access to sign-language interpreters, visual notifications of safety announcements.