What Happens After a Prison Shuts Down? A Report from Rural Craigsville, Virginia

Episode Synopsis:  What is the fate of Craigsville, Virginia after a prison closed in the small, rural town?  We’re envisioning the future of Craigsville and investigating how decarcerating the economy can become a win for all.

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Description: What happens to a small town when a prison shuts down? The Augusta Correctional Center employed many residents and brought business to Craigsville, Virginia, a two square-mile, 900-person town located in the Shenandoah Valley. But when the prison closed in the summer of 2024 with minimal warning and no time for planning, Craigsville residents and the town’s economy were hit hard. In this special report, Laura Flanders & Friends correspondents Chelsea Higgs Wise and Lewis Raven Wallace head to Craigsville to learn about how the town is struggling, possible solutions from locals, and the larger questions around our country’s prison industrial complex. How can small, rural communities be supported in a sustainable transition away from a carceral economy? Join us as we envision the future of Craigsville and investigate how decarcerating the economy can become a win for all. Chelsea Higgs Wise is a community organizer based in Richmond, Virginia whose work focuses on empowering Black communities economically and educationally. She is co-founder and director of Marijuana Justice, a Black-led organization established to repair the harms of the drug war. Durham, North Carolina-based Lewis Raven Wallace is an independent journalist, author, and the Abolition Journalism Fellow at Interrupting Criminalization. Plus, a commentary from Laura on what could happen to the Augusta Correctional Center under the Trump administration.

“At one point there were 43 institutions in the Virginia Departments of Corrections . . . That number has dramatically decreased as a result of measures put in place, such as incentive credits, the juvenile parole bill, and other pieces of legislation that helped sentencing.” - Sincere Allah

“What I would say is that building these prisons has not changed communities. It hasn't helped people inside. It hasn't helped create all these amazing jobs . . . Instead of investing $1.5 billion in our prisons, parole, probation, what if that was invested in communities?” - Margaret Breslau

“Augusta Correctional opened in 1985. Probably at least half of the population here was working over there at that time. And it boosted the community greatly . . , boosted the town operational costs also. Kind of devastating for them to leave.” - Richard L. Fox

“There's a gorgeous gym in [the prison] that is just full of equipment that these young people could very much get something out of. There's a beautiful library in there. There's two ball fields there. There's plenty of office space. It could be turned into a lot of things.” - Tracy Martin

Correspondents:

•  Lewis Raven Wallace: Journalist & Activist, Durham, North Carolina

•  Chelsea Higgs Wise: Journalist & Policy Advocate, Richmond, Virginia

Guests:

•  Sincere Allah: State Organizer, REFORM Alliance

•  Margaret Breslau: Co-Founder, Virginia Prison Justice Network

•  Pam L. Carter: Augusta County Board of Supervisors, Craigsville, Virginia

•  Richard L. Fox: Mayor, Craigville, Virginia

•  Tracy Martin: Fire Chief, Volunteer Fire Department, Craigsville Virginia

•  Sandy Oscar Sprouse: Owner, Grandma’s Busy Bee

•  Fred Sprouse:  Superintendent of Maintenance, Craigsville, Virginia

•  David Swink: Cattle & Hay Farmer, Craigsville, Virginia

•  Catherine Moyers-Youell: Retired Teacher, Craigsville, Virginia

•  Bill Youell: Retired Chemical Engineer, Craigsville, Virginia

•  Claudette Wilcher: Pastor Bells Valley Worship Center, Craigsville, Virginia

Watch the episode cut airing on PBS stations across the country at our YouTube channel

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Music In the Middle:  "Steppin" , "Mont Blanc" "Hearts a Flutter" & "Tender & Curious" by Podington Bear.

Related Laura Flanders Show Episodes:

•  Big Pharma vs The People: The Fight To Save America’s Largest Generic Drug Manufacturer, Watch / Podcast Episode

•  The Defund Movement in 2024: Frontline Reporters Separate Myth from Reality, Watch / Podcast Episode

•  Ask Angola Prison: What Difference Can a Play Make?, Watch / Podcast: Episode, Full Conversation

•  Mariame Kaba: Rooting Out Our Culture of Harm, Watch / Podcast

Related Articles and Resources:

• Criminal Legal Reform:  Rehabilitation Over Incarceration, ACLU Virginia

• Prison closes but hometown is open for business, by Sandy Hausman, June 13, 2024, Radio IQ, WVTF, Virginia’s Public Radio

•. Where people in prison come from:  The geography of mass incarceration in Virginia, by Emily Widra & Kenneth Gilliam, July 2022, Prison Policy Initiative

• Mass Incarceration Trends, May 21, 2024, Sentencing Project

•. Virginia Senate Passes REFORM Bill SB 936 in unanimous vote 40-0, February 4, 2025, Reform Alliance

• Marijuana Justice Organization 

Laura Flanders and Friends Crew:  Laura Flanders, along with Sabrina Artel, Jeremiah Cothren, Veronica Delgado, Janet Hernandez, Jeannie Hopper, Gina Kim, Sarah Miller, Nat Needham, David Neuman, and Rory O’Conner. 

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