VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — In an effort to speed up the process for inmates with mental health issues, a general population pod at the Virginia Beach Correctional Center is being repurposed into a new “restoration pod,” thanks to funding from the state.
It looks pretty similar to any other jail wing. The difference is who will staff it and what it will be used for.
When someone who lives with a mental health issue is arrested, the court may order a competency evaluation to determine if the inmate is mentally capable of going to trial. They have to be taken to Eastern State Hospital in Williamsburg, often waiting weeks or months for an available bed…