Monique Wyatt urges independent audit of Richmond City Justice Center medical care after alleging systemic failures

Monique Wyatt told the Richmond Public Safety Standing Committee that inmates at the Richmond City Justice Center with documented medical conditions are not receiving medically prescribed meals or routine monitoring and that inmates who advocate for care face retaliation.

"This is not negligence. This is a medical emergency created inside this facility," Wyatt said, recounting an incident she documented in which an incarcerated person with a cardiac diagnosis was denied water for seven hours while in solitary and was later transported to VCU Medical Center, where physicians said the person was dehydrated and at risk of kidney failure.

Wyatt asked the committee to require an independent audit of the jail’s medical protocols and staffing training, weekly verification that documented medical diets are followed, a ban on retaliatory actions against inmates or families who advocate for medical needs, mandatory hydration and medication-monitoring protocols for inmates with cardiac conditions, and monthly oversight reporting to the council.

Committee members asked whether Wyatt had contacted the sheriff; she said she had sent several letters with no timely response. Sheriff Antoinette Irvin Sherpa, who was present, said by law she could not comment on an individual patient’s condition but described the facility’s oversight structure and invited follow-up: "If you have a specific question that you want to ask me now, I'll be more than happy to answer it," she said, and offered to meet with the speaker and to make herself available for further conversation.

Sherpa said medical services are delivered under contract, that the vendor maintains about 45 medical staff, and that a risk manager and an accreditation team oversee plans of care. Committee members asked for a fuller briefing by the sheriff’s office to explain contract oversight, compliance metrics and what steps the administration will take to address the allegations.

The chair closed the public comment period after the exchange. Several council members said they expected follow-up and that the sheriff could be asked to return to the Public Safety Standing Committee to provide more detail.