04/28/2026
Reflections on the inaugural Community Relations Board meeting 4/13, this was written 4/19/26:
I have been to the FDC as a visitor to detainees several times & also as a transporter for released detainees. Never had I been past one of the two no-contact visitation rooms just past the entry with security. Security entails giving your ID in exchange for a visitor badge, leaving everything in a locker you keep the key for, meeting the dress code, removing shoes & jackets to go through the scanner & metal detector, signing their visitor book, filling out a background check on your first visit, typically. The entire property is under video surveillance. It is also surrounded by high fences & loops of razor wire along the tops.
Despite the reality of sometimes upwards of 700 non-criminal men being held against their will for profit for the private prison industry, the vibe I have felt is thankfully not violent. It is not ideal, as incarceration of any kind has lots of questions around it. I am not here to debate policy. I will do my best to build relationships to hopefully make positive impacts on the quality of life for those who never asked to come to Farmville or be my neighbors at pHunkadelic, 2790 W 3rd Street, a half mile from the Farmville Detention Center, owned now by CoreCivic.
My impact in the world of Immigration & Customs Enforcement is aimed locally. Inspired, I created Immigrant Compassion Education. I envision this version of ICE as an inclusive, education-based, collaborative heart-led mission, driven by outreach & compassion. My root value is wellness, which comes in many forms. I care for the wellness of every being on the property at 508 Waterworks Road - detainees, employees, leadership. A new entity was just formed here at the FDC - a community relations board. I am thankful to have been included & was excited for our first meeting, this past Monday, April 13.
Others include our Piedmont Health District Director Maria Almond, Prince Edward County Administrator Doug Stanley, Susie Thomas of Farmville Methodist, Centra Chaplain Julie Bates Flores. We missed Barry Wall but I look forward to meeting him. On the internal side we met with the warden, a nurse, security personnel & the public relations steward. After an hour of intros & education the externals took a full tour of the facility, including a dorm that was empty, having shower upkeep construction. From the Control Room with all the camera feeds, bulletin board paper backup of detainees, it felt like the central nervous system, we toured to the kitchen, the yard, medical areas, the spaces detainees tele-speak to their lawyers, where they tele-court with judges for their hearings, the workout room, the entertainment room, the space they hold religious gatherings, the commissary, the barber shop, the laundry, the intake area, walking past all dorm entrances as we passed through the very grey halls. The big, high-ceiling metal buildings do have regular skylights, which is an interesting design feature, anywhere but especially felt like sunshine, moonshine & starshine would be most welcome within those walls.
The experience felt like an offering of transparency & honest dialogue. The employees I have encountered there have been helpful & kind. In introducing myself I included I am the neighbor that sends lots of love down to everyone here, as we were face to face in the conference room. I wave to all the traffic I see going in or out of Waterworks Road - I wish well for everyone. We are all human & none of us are perfect but we can lead with our hearts, in whatever we do.
Desires to support detainees, from near & far, is wide-spread & there are a variety of resources through which to help. The Farmville Detention Visitation Network is led by Elizabeth Gay, who coordinates visits to detainees requesting a visitor. Amica Center for Immigrant Law supports detainees through legal proceedings. As Immigrant Compassion Education, I want to educate those in our community about the facility & ways they can be supportive, if they choose. Fiscally, it impacts every citizen of Prince Edward County. As Allison Crews, I will continue to be a voice for including wellness wherever possible for quality of life for those involved in any way at the Farmville Detention Center.
