Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin on Wednesday signed a bill into law that severely restricts the use of attack-trained patrol dogs in state prisons after the legislation garnered widespread bipartisan support in the in the Virginia legislature.
The move comes after a Business Insider investigation last year revealed that Virginia prisons use attack-trained dogs far more than any other state or commonwealth. Prison dogs attacked 271 incarcerated people in Virginia between 2017 and 2022, BI previously reported. The state with the second most attacks — Arizona — recorded 15 incidents in the same time period.
Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers in Virginia credited BI with bringing the abusive practice to light.
The law aims to significantly curb the deployment of patrol dogs in attacking prisoners except when “immediately necessary” to prevent the “threat of serious bodily injury or death” of prisoners or staff.
A warden or other supervisor must now grant permission for the dogs to be used to intervene in a fight, and any fight in which they are used must now involve at least three prisoners.
The changes come after BI reported that patrol dogs were frequently used in Virginia to attack men who wouldn’t leave their cells or who became involved in one-on-one altercations.
Seven other states also use dogs to attack prisoners, leading to devastating injuries in some cases, BI reported.
At least 18 incarcerated men in Virginia have received emergency hospital care for injuries ranging from muscle and tissue damage to septic infections as a result of dog attacks since 2017. Others told BI that they suffered psychological trauma following their attacks.
Youngkin signed the legislation this week after it passed Virginia’s House of Delegates with an 82-15 vote and received unanimous support in the state’s senate last month.
The bill was one of 60 that Younkin took final action on this week, signing 36 into law, offering amendments to two, and vetoing another 22.
“Today, I’m pleased to sign bipartisan bills into law, including legislation that will aid economic development in Southwest Virginia Coal Country, put reasonable restrictions on the use of canines in corrections facilities, make it easier for Virginians to prosecute violations of their protective orders, and improve the delivery of services to Virginians with development disabilities by allowing them more time to work with support coordinators to find the right provider,” Youngkin said in a press release.
