Gov. Abigail Spanberger has opened applications for the Governor’s Community Partnership Council on Corrections, a new advisory body aimed at improving transparency, accountability and operations within the Virginia Department of Corrections.
Announced in June as part of the governor’s corrections reform agenda, the council will bring together corrections officers and staff, formerly incarcerated individuals, family members, victim advocates, law enforcement representatives and community organizations to provide recommendations on policies and operations.
According to the governor’s office, reforms implemented during Spanberger’s first months in office have contributed to a 56 percent reduction in serious assaults on staff, a 47 percent decrease in confirmed overdoses and a 27 percent decline in facility lockdowns from January through May 2026 compared with the same period in 2025.
The council will be led by Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security Stanley Meador and Virginia Department of Corrections Director Joseph Walters. It will focus on conditions of confinement, reentry and reintegration, family engagement, staffing and public accountability.
The council will have no more than 18 members representing community and advocacy organizations, individuals with lived experience in the corrections system, victim advocates, public safety partners and corrections leadership. Corrections leadership positions will make up no more than one-third of the membership.
Applications are available online through the governor’s office. The deadline to apply is September 4.
