Michelle Dempsey began emailing the Virginia Department of Corrections about her father, Louis, in October. âMy father is 62 years old with serious health issues,â she wrote on Oct. 26, in the first of 25 emails to the VDOC.
âDo you know if the DOC is going to be doing early release for those individuals who have health concerns and are not in there for a violent crime? I am very concerned with the numbers going up daily, that my father may not make it out of his sentence alive.â
Michelle Dempseyâs concerns are similar to those felt by many family members of inmates as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. And a surge in cases that prompted a lockdown of the facility have only added to their fears.