I visited the Buchanan Co. Fair this past weekend & we were taking a break to eat when a man, who had been at the tent of someone who is campaigning for sheriff, started to play with my 4 yr. old daughter. After they tossed a beach ball around for a few minutes, my husband started to talk to him to find out that he is an inmate at Haysi regional Jail!!! He had been up there all day long passing out Vote For ___ ____ campaign things.
He looked just like everyone else standing at the tent & was talking with people, so, we both assumed that he was a police officer. I don't want anybody to take this the wrong way because if I was an inmate being allowed to attend a county fair, then I am sure that I would have been doing the same things. He did nothing wrong.
There was nothing whatsoever that made him look any different from any other police officer or person standing around. My concern lies with the competency of the person or persons that were allowing inmates to mingle with the public & play with children, without the public having any hint of an idea that he is a prisoner.
I can honestly say that is the first time that I have ever attended any county fair & spoken with an inmate while I was there.

How was this inmate dressed that made him look no different than anybody else? Are you 100% positive this was an inmate? Just curious thats all. I was there and saw 2 inmates under the supervision of a Deputy Sheriff from Buchanan County.

They were both dressed in black pants & white shirts. Neither of them looked any different from any of the police officers or anyone else standing there campaigning. Neither of them were being supervised, either. Why would an inmate be campaigning for anyone, anyway?

Regardless of what the situation was, I do not appreciate any inmate being at a county fair, unsupervised and allowed to mingle with the public & going as far as to play with children. Especially in street clothes. That guy could have been incarcerated for anything.

I was at the fair too. I am sure those trusted inmates were more safer than some of the people in the general crowd! More likely, those inmates were in jail for minor crimes. I know that the sheriff in Buchanan County does a good job of arresting people for drug involvement. If they get better judges to try the ones arrested, the drug problems in Buchanan County will be diminished alot.

I could care less if he was in jail for littering, why does an inmate need to be at a fair where he is getting to enjoy himself. Kind of defeats the purpose, punishment with perks? The sheriff thought that was a good idea? I know he wants to be re-elected but, give me a break. I thought his job was to take the crime off our streets, not to take the criminals to the fair. Maybe he is the pied piper of criminals, that’s why people are leaving Tazewell County to commit their crimes in Buchanan County so the sheriff can take them to all the fairs. Did the Sheriff get them balloons and snow cones too, or better yet did he when them all a stuffed animal? Sounds like this fellow is trying to take himself out of office and for that stunt he should be.

Plenty of minumum low-risk security inmates are let out for work-release and community service in the state of Va. (Your white collar crimes and other low risk inmates... including some inmates who have served their time in prison and have good credit toward low risk status). What you saw is a pretty good program and in some ways it is better then releasing prisoners out on "probation". They work in the community to pay off their fines and restitution and work release is just like going to a regular job. They just have to report back to jail every night. Usually violent criminals, druggies, or abusers are ever allowed to be in the programs until they have proven to be low risk minumum security. They are also checked for alcohol and drugs randomly when they get back. Once a day or once a week, it varies. I know how SOME in this community are quick to judge, worry and get their underwear in a knot, but it is very rare that any of these inmates attempt escape or anything else. If they do, they are given an escape charge when captured and then they are sent "down the road."

An inmate has to be integrated back to society. I think there are good programs out there like the ones talked about. Stop being so hard-a@@. Either run for office or be willing to except.

That is a good post!

We don't lock up people and throw away the key. Those inmates are about finished with their sentence and are being trusted to do some work at the fair. I believe someone has a bone to pick with Sheriff Foster. I wonder why?

well be it Buchanan County or Dickenson I don't think that a person tha that is in jail should be allowed to be at a fair or what ever.

you dont lock someone up for a crime no matter what the crime and then take them out to fairs and such as that, heck there being punished for their crimes thats why they are locked up, they shouldnt get rewarded for them by taking them to the fair or anywhere like that. The work crews that they have out on the roads is different because they have guards with them and they are working not enjoying themselves and thats how it should be, they shouldnt be enjoying themselves when they are serving time in Jail or prison.

So by your intelligence a person has to guarded in order to be a criminal? Hmmmm now I know what a criminal is. You learn something new everyday! (Someone hit the Loonie Tunes Theme)

I think it should be the way it was years ago. They should be in chains and out working on a chain gang somewhere, not sitting around watching tv, or out walking the streets, they have it too easy now day's we have murder's out running up and down the street's in Haysi, and in other places to.

I realize that inmates need to be "integrated" back into society. BUT they do not need to be integrated in the way that they are allowed to mingle with the public & allowed to play with children. Especially while they look just like everyone else standing there.
Passing out Vote For ___ ____ campaign things???? It seemed to me like they were there more for the purpose of campaigning than being rehabilitated or integrated.
You can imagine my state of alarm when I realized that the young man tossing the beach ball with my 4 yr. old was an inmate instead of a police officer. If they do allow them to be there, they should not be allowed to "socialize" with anyone.

Do you know if the inmates was from Dickenson co or Buchanan county?

The one that we talked to was from Tazewell County but had gotten in trouble in Buchanan County.