(The Center Square) – Virginia is launching a new advisory council on corrections as state officials roll out a series of prison reforms and release new data showing improvements in safety and operations during the administration’s first five months.

The Governor’s Community Partnership Council on Corrections will serve as a forum for recommendations on conditions of confinement, reentry and reintegration, family engagement, staffing and public accountability.

The council will be led by Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security Stanley Meador and Virginia Department of Corrections Director Joseph Walters and include representatives from community, faith-based, healthcare, education and public safety organizations, along with formerly incarcerated individuals.

The administration also released a report summarizing changes made at the Virginia Department of Corrections since January.

The report says several measures improved from January through May compared with the same period in 2025, including a 56% decline in serious inmate-on-staff assaults, a 39% reduction in use-of-force incidents, a 27% decrease in full facility lockdowns, a 47% drop in confirmed overdoses, a 12% decline in suspected overdoses and a 20% reduction in the number of incarcerated individuals housed in Restorative Housing Units.

The report also says the department ended the use of five-point restraints for individuals experiencing mental health crises, created an Office of Professional Standards, established a Code of Ethics and required updated use-of-force training emphasizing de-escalation and rendering aid.

According to the report, the department made the changes while operating with a 21% vacancy rate.

Gov. Abigail Spanberger said the reforms are intended to improve safety while increasing accountability and transparency across the correctional system.

“When I came into office, I got an early window into the many things that were wrong inside Virginia’s correctional system,” Spanberger said. “Not wrong because of the dedicated VADOC employees who work tirelessly day in and day out, but systemically wrong.”

The report says department leaders met with 13 advocacy groups and addressed approximately 85% of concerns raised, including extending visitation hours and improving consistency across facilities.

Earlier this year, lawmakers passed legislation requiring additional visitation standards at state correctional facilities, including a minimum of two hours for in-person visits unless shortened at the request of the visitor or incarcerated individual or because of an active security event. The law takes effect July 1.

“Engagement isn’t an event; it’s a practice,” Meador said. “It’s how we make sure our work reflects the realities happening on the ground, and how we build the kind of organization that people trust.”

Walters said the department’s recent changes reflect a renewed focus on accountability and professionalism.

“We have taken a new approach over these last five months, and I am pleased to say it is working,” Walters said. “We have focused on creating a people-first culture and reaffirming our shared commitment to integrity, accountability, and public trust.”