Wallens Ridge State Prison is a level 5 state prison located in
Big Stone Gap
Big Stone Gap is a town in Wise County, Virginia, United States. The town was economically centered around the coal industry for much of its early development. The population was 5,643 at the 2010 census.
History
The community was formerly kno ...
,
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
, housing approximately 700 inmates. Since opening in April 1999, it has been a part of the
Virginia Department of Corrections
The Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC) is the government agency responsible for community corrections and operating prisons and correctional facilities in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The agency is fully accredited by ...
, and is identical to the
Red Onion State Prison
Red Onion State Prison (ROSP) is a supermax state prison located in unincorporated Wise County, Virginia, near Pound. Operated by the Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC), it houses about 800 inmates.Pound. The prison was built for over $70 million. As of 1999 the prison employs almost 800 people.