Defend Kevin Johnson — Stop Legal Access Obstruction & Retaliation
By: UPROAR Admin · December 12, 2025
Defend Kevin “Rashid” Johnson
Kevin Johnson reports legal-access obstruction and retaliation at Perry Correctional Institution in South Carolina. Virginia is the sending state under the Interstate Corrections Compact (ICC) and remains responsible for ensuring he can reach the courts and his legal materials.
🚨 Quick Start — Act Now (Active Retaliation)
Kevin Johnson reports retaliation escalating after outside contact and litigation filings. Calls and emails now function as protective oversight and must be documented.
- Read the Latest Update and Rashid’s statement so you can cite facts.
- Make 1–3 calls. Voicemail counts. Ask for a written response.
- Send the oversight emails to create an external record.
- File the VADOC web contact form to trigger ICC oversight duties.
- Submit the Virginia OSIG Ombudsman complaint (this is critical).
- Report back so retaliation patterns can be tracked and escalated.
🆕 Latest Update: Rashid’s New Statement (Dec 28, 2025)
Rashid’s newest article documents retaliation and abuse continuing inside South Carolina prisons under ICC, including a dangerous “Freddy Gray van” transport, extreme solitary conditions, medical/dental neglect, alleged exposure to a concentrated insecticide, communications restrictions, and retaliation linked to litigation and outside contact.
🛡️ How to Help Right Now
Rashid reports retaliation intensifies after complaints and litigation. Outside pressure helps deter abuse by forcing officials to create records they can later be held accountable for.
- Make calls today — even brief voicemails help establish oversight notice.
- Ask for names, reference numbers, and written responses.
- Do not argue facts — demand correction, record preservation, and non-retaliation.
- Report back so organizers can track patterns and follow up.
If staff say “we can’t discuss inmates,” respond: “I’m requesting confirmation of policy compliance and record preservation.”
🚨 What’s Happening Right Now — Legal Access Is Being Blocked
Kevin Johnson reports a pattern that directly threatens court deadlines and his ability to litigate: law library obstruction, legal mail interference, withholding of legal property, and denial of legal calls/attorney access during “cell restriction”.
Update referenced in calls (Dec 2025): legal call/visit blocked while on “cell restriction”
Kevin Johnson reports Perry staff cancelled his legal call/visit with attorney Sheryl because he was placed on cell restriction. He states OP-22.14 § 26.2 still requires release for legal calls and legal visits (as well as showers/hygiene, meals, and law library).
New demand to add in all contacts: immediate restoration of confidential legal calls/attorney visits even during “cell restriction,” with written confirmation, record preservation, and non-retaliation.
Five concrete problems that need immediate correction
- Law library + tablet legal access obstructed: denial/removal from the law library; blocked access to legal materials on the tablet; retaliation dynamics tied to law library use.
- Outgoing legal mail sabotaged on a deadline day: a time-sensitive filing accepted/logged by the mailroom, yet the court later reported it never received it.
- Incoming legal mail and documents delayed/missing: legal documents allegedly arrive weeks late or not at all.
- Virginia-held legal property still withheld: reported ~40 boxes of legal property/case materials believed to be held in Virginia remain withheld/inaccessible.
- Legal call/attorney visit denied while on “cell restriction” (policy violation alleged): staff cancelled a legal call/visit while he was on restriction; he states policy still requires release for legal calls/visits.
- Officer Rachel Cobb — alleged to be involved in restricting/denying law library access.
- Tamara Conwell — alleged to be regularly tampering with/mishandling mail.
- Alexis Danzy — mailroom worker identified as a corroborating witness who confirmed in writing that outgoing legal mail “should have been sent out.”
- Officer Nicholas Sessa — identified as involved in scheduling/handling an attorney call issue.
- Sergeant Baber — identified as escalating/handling a legal-call issue.
- Lt. Smith — identified as imposing the “cell restriction” used to justify cancelling legal access.
Note: These are allegations and/or witness statements described by Kevin Johnson. Our demand is immediate correction, preservation of records, and written findings.
Demands: documented law library access; access to legal materials on the tablet; prompt, confidential handling of legal mail; access to legal property; immediate restoration of legal calls and attorney visits regardless of cell restriction; non-retaliation; and written responses with named points of contact in both South Carolina and Virginia.
What the ICC means in this situation
The Interstate Corrections Compact allows Virginia to place Kevin in another state’s prison. Virginia is still the “sending state.” That means:
- Virginia remains responsible for access to courts, legal mail protections, and access to legal property.
- South Carolina controls day-to-day conditions and can fix the immediate problems inside Perry.
- Virginia must monitor and intervene when rights violations occur in the receiving state.
📄 Federal Litigation PDFs (Read / Share / Cite)
These filings are a public record of the issues and requested relief. You can cite them in calls/emails as: “I reviewed the court filings in Johnson v. Dotson, 2:25-cv-12580 and I’m requesting policy compliance and record preservation.”
Key Documents
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Civil Rights Complaint (filed Sept 16, 2025)
Core allegations and parties; establishes the record in federal court.
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Brief in Support of Motion for TRO
Explains the legal basis for emergency relief and immediate harms.
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TRO Memorandum of Law
Legal argument and standards for injunctive relief.
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TRO Exhibit A
Supporting exhibit for the TRO motion.
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TRO Exhibit B
Supporting exhibit for the TRO motion.
How to talk about the PDFs (recommended framing)
- Don’t debate the merits. Say: “I’m requesting policy compliance and record preservation.”
- Ask officials to confirm: legal calls/visits restored, legal mail logs preserved, law library access documented, and a non-retaliation assurance.
- Request a written response and a named point of contact.
📞 Step 1: Calls
Calls are currently being treated by Perry staff as a trigger for retaliation. This makes them more important, not less. Each call creates an external record that can be subpoenaed or cited in court.
• Perry Correctional Institution – Warden Curtis Earley (mobile): (864) 436-4827
• Perry Correctional Institution – Main Line: (864) 243-4700
• Perry CI – Associate Warden Joseph Werts: (803) 363-9322 or (864) 243-4708 • werts.joseph@doc.sc.gov
• Perry CI – Associate Warden Susan Duffy: (864) 243-4708 or (864) 209-7647 • duffy.susan@doc.sc.gov
Virginia — Sending State & Oversight
VA Office of the State Inspector General – Corrections Ombudsman: (804) 251-1778
Office of the Governor of Virginia: (804) 786-2211
South Carolina Call Script (≈ 60–90 seconds)
Short voicemail version
Important
If staff reference the lawsuit or say they “can’t comment,” ask them to confirm:
- That legal calls and attorney visits are being restored and documented
- That legal mail and law library logs are being preserved
- Who is assigned to ensure non-retaliation and follow-up
Virginia Call Script (≈ 60–90 seconds)
Short voicemail version
After you call
- Write down date/time, who you spoke with (or voicemail), and any reference number.
- Ask them to preserve records: mail logs (incoming/outgoing legal), law library sign-in / movement logs, RHU movement logs, legal call/visit schedules, cell-restriction orders, and relevant CCTV.
✉️ Step 2: Oversight Emails
Use the one-click email tools below. This version names individuals reported by Kevin Johnson (allegations and/or witness statements). You may also reference Rashid’s Dec 28 public statement and the lawsuit PDFs above to show active public monitoring.
📎 Cite the Latest Update (optional but effective)
You may reference Rashid’s Dec 28, 2025 public statement when contacting officials. This signals that conditions are being publicly documented and monitored.
“I am writing after reviewing Kevin Johnson’s Dec 28, 2025 public statement detailing continued retaliation and legal access obstruction following his ICC transfer.”
📝 Step 3: VADOC “Contact Us” Form
How to fill out the form
- Go to: https://vadoc.virginia.gov/contact-us/
- Select Yes when asked if your message is about an inmate.
- Enter:
- Inmate Name: Kevin Johnson
- DOC#: 1007485
- Current Location: Perry Correctional Institution, South Carolina (ICC transfer)
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For the Topic dropdown, select the closest available option:
- “Interstate Compact / Transfer” if available.
- If not, use “Offender Property” or “Other”.
- Subject:
ICC transfer – Legal mail, law library, and Virginia-held legal property (Kevin Johnson #1007485) - Paste the text below into the message box and add your name and city/state at the end.
📡 Step 4: Virginia Corrections Ombudsman (OSIG)
Ask OSIG to examine VADOC’s ICC oversight and the Virginia-held legal property issue, and to require corrective action to protect access to courts.
Ombudsman Complaint Text
Copy the text below, then paste it into the Corrections Ombudsman complaint form.
✅ Step 5: Report Your Action
Reporting your action helps document retaliation patterns, identify escalation points, and protect Kevin Johnson by showing officials that outside monitoring is active.
Please note: Dates, names, reference numbers, and exact language used by staff are especially important.
📬 Get UPROAR Updates
Short updates with concrete actions, focused on campaigns around Virginia prisons and ICC transfers.
Thank you for intervening. Every documented call, email, and complaint reduces the space for abuse to continue in silence.
