Rooftop standoff with noose-clad sex offenders ends

By Dena Potter

RICHMOND

Two sex offenders who climbed onto an awning at a psychiatric facility with nooses around their necks ended an hours-long standoff with police without incident Monday, saying they were protesting the conditions of their confinement.

William Dewey and Victor Johnson are two of nearly 300 offenders being held indefinitely at the Virginia Center for Behavioral Rehabilitation for treatment after they served prison sentences. The two climbed atop an awning outside the Burkeville facility on Monday and tied the nooses fashioned from bed sheets to a building support.

The men refused to come down for three and a half hours until police and officials assured them they would look into their complaints.

Both men said the feel like the facility is being run more like a prison than a psychiatric center. The U.S Supreme Court has said that civil commitment programs for sex offenders are constitutional as long as the offenders are there for treatment, not further punishment.

"I'm not mad about being here," Dewey, 32, told The Associated Press in an exclusive interview. "It's not about wanting to be in the facility. It's about wanting to facility to be what it's supposed to be."

Neither man will face criminal charges, said Virginia State Police Sgt. Thomas Molnar. They were interviewed by state police investigators and medical personnel and returned to the facility.

The complex is surrounded by razor-wire fence, and the men were never close to escaping, said Meghan McGuire, a spokeswoman for the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, which runs the facility.

Dewey said he had no desire to escape. Instead, the two took jackets, blankets and food — crackers, peanuts and Pop Tarts — and planned to stay the night if necessary.

In calls and letters to the AP, Dewey and other offenders have complained about an increase in security. The offenders argue that their privileges, such as outside recreation and property allowances, continue to be cut back while security measures increase.

McGuire said the center is a secure facility, but like other psychiatric facilities "individuals have many freedoms of choice and careful consideration is given to human rights concerns." In addition to group psychotherapy, the center also offers programs such as life skills, vocational training and education.

While two state inspector general reports in 2007 and 2008 were highly critical of the amount of treatment offenders received, that has increased in recent years so that each resident is offered at least 10 hours of treatment each week, McGuire said.

Dewey argues that the population has grown so quickly that classes are now full, living quarters are overrun and tempers are flaring. The 300-bed facility, which was finished in 2006, reached capacity years before officials expected, so lawmakers chose to double-bunk residents rather than build a new one. Some residents have complained that they fear assaults and cramped living space will be the result.

While the facility is governed by human rights regulations similar to those in regular psychiatric facilities, residents argue those are routinely violated. Dewey has filed numerous complaints, including two that were upheld involving an improper strip search and withholding treatment.

"Nobody wants to listen to us anymore," said Timothy East, another offender who called the AP to report the standoff. "There's no voice here. Some people are taking drastic measures to make their voice be heard."

Neither Dewey nor Johnson, 29, said they planned to hurt themselves. They said they just wanted to take a stand.

"I think that a very big point was made," Dewey said. "However, I'm not so sure that it will make much change."