HD32 - Final Report: Southwest Virginia Satellite Training Academy


Executive Summary:
The 2006 session of the General Assembly included a section in the "Virginia Acts of Assembly, Item 387 G." requiring that "The Department of Corrections shall provide a planning report on alternatives for developing a satellite training facility in Southwest Virginia. The report shall consider the potential for cost savings through the provision of training services on a regional basis. Copies of an interim report, including a scope statement and work p/an, shall be provided by October 16, 2006, and a final report by June 1, 2007, to the Secretary of Public Safety and the chairmen of the Senate Finance and House Appropriations Committees."

A work group comprised of Department of Corrections staff representing institutions, community corrections and administration was established under the direction of the Academy for Stall Development, to identify, gather and review the data, and to develop the proposal as directed by the General Assembly.

Background

The Academy for Staff Development (ASD) is a full service residential training facility located on 73 acres of land on state route 6, adjacent to the DCC State Farm Complex in Goochland County. Operation at this location began in May 1993, upon completion of the new facility.

The Academy is the primary professional development and training center for DCC employees. The Academy has also provided specialized training for some professional staff from affiliate state agencies and other state and local criminal justice agencies that work in partnership with the Department.

The Goochland academy, as planned in 1990, consisted of five separate buildings plus a weapons training range:

• administration and classroom (8 classrooms, multipurpose/large group training space)
• physical skills training center with mock cellblock 200 bed residence hall
• food service facility with dining space for 157
• combined maintenance and bulk storage building
• a modern automated firearms and chemical agents training facility (located on the James River Correctional Center property adjacent to the Academy)

Later, a farm building located on the James River Correctional Center property, was restored and is currently used for scenario / simulation training for community corrections and canine training.

The above requirements were based on the scope of services determined as necessary to meet current and projected future staff training needs based on projected inmate population growth in the 1990s that would require the building of new institutions, and subsequent DCC staff expansion projected to occur into the new millennium. This expansion was predicated on key factors including: criminal laws, offender sentencing structure in use, and correctional philosophy and practice that were used to determine future offender population growth projections at that time.