RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Virginia officials have quietly granted the state's death row inmates new privileges amid legal challenges from the men awaiting execution.
Only a few months ago, condemned inmates left their tiny cells just three days a week for showers, and an hour a day five days a week for recreation in a fenced outdoor cell. A sheet of glass separated them from family members during visits.
Now, the seven men get an extra half-hour of recreation each day, and officials are building a new recreation yard with a basketball court and exercise equipment. They can hug and hold hands with family members when they visit.
Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring has said conditions for the inmates are now "significantly more progressive than the norm among other states with capital punishment."
