"RICHMOND, July 25 - Republican and Democratic lawmakers criticized Virginia's top prison official today for refusing to allow Connecticut officials to tour Wallens Ridge supermax prison, where 133 of that state's inmates were housed.

The lawmakers said Virginia Corrections Director Roger J. Angelone's unwillingness to allow an inspection by a Connecticut agency charged with protecting the rights of the mentally ill fosters an unflattering unpression of Vrginia's two supermaxes, both in the far southwest corner of the state.

Long a target of human rights groups, the supermaxes are the highest-secunty prisons for the most hardened criminals and inmates who create discipline problems. Connecticut began removing its prisoners from Wallens Ridge this week, after Angelone's action.

'If you have a contract with another state, and an official agency from that state wants to visit... you ought to honor [the request] rather than just summarily dismiss it,' said Del. Vincent R Callahan Jr. (R-Fairfax), chairman of the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission.

'I'm going to look into this,' Callahan said.

State Sen. Janet D. Howell (D-Fairfax), a member of the state Crime Commission who visited Wallens Ridge last year, said the prison seemed to be well run. She urged Angelone to welcome the Connecticut agency and other visitors.

'This is the worst possible outcome. It looks bad,' Howell said. 'Open it up, Mr. Angelone.'

Angelone, who on Tuesday night accused the Connecticut agency of 'having a political ax to grind,' stood by his decision today.

'I have the utmost respect for Virginia's legislators and the Crime Commission, many of whom have been quite helpful to the department,' Angelone said in a statement. 'However, there are issues attendant to this matter with which they are not familiar.'

The statement did not elaborate on those issues, but administration officials said Angelone was wary of the Connecticut agency because it planned to bring along a psychiatric specialist who does consulting work for the American Civil Liberties Union.

The group has filed a federal suit accusing guards at Wallens Ridge of 'cruel and unusual punishment.' And about a decade ago, the psychiatric specialist, Jeffirey L. Metzner, of the University of Colorado, was an expert witness for prisoners in a Nevada class-action suit when Angelone was a top official there.

Officials also said the contract with Connecticut prohibited mentally ill inmates from coming to Virginia prisons, making a review of psychiatric care at Wallens Ridge unnecessary.

The dispute began in May, when the Connecticut Office of Protection and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities requested a tour of Wallens Ridge to investigate whether inmates were receiving proper psychiatric care. Among the agency's concerns were the deaths of two Connecticut inmates there last year.

Angelone, who had allowed a representative from the agency to interview some inmates at Wallens Ridge, refused to allow a more comprehensive visit with an outside psychiatric expert. Connecticut's top prison officials backed the other state agency, even flying to Virginia to urge Angelone to reconsider. He refused.

'He didn't have the discretion to deny the tour,' said Nancy Alisberg, a lawyer for the agency who planned to visit Wallens Ridge. 'It doesn't matter where Connecticut prisoners are. Our concern is that they're receiving adequate mental health care.'

A Connecticut prison spokesman, Brian Garnett, said today that the dispute with Angelone 'did speed up the process' of removing prisoners from Wallens Ridge but that it was a long-planned shift based on that state's needs.

Some of the Connecticut prisoners at Wallens Ridge returned to that state this week. The 103 who remain are to go to Greensville Correctional Center, a medium-security prison in Jarratt, Va.

'It is far less controversial to have folks in Greensville than in Wallens Ridge,' Garnett said.

Wallens Ridge, in Big Stone Gap, has 944 prisoners, including some from New Mexico, Wyoming, Hawaii and the Virgin Islands, which pay Virginia to house their prisoners. Red Onion, the states other supermax, has 847 prisoners, almost all of whom are from Virginia. There are 344 Connecticut prisoners at Greensville Correctional Center.

Del. John H. 'Jack' Rust Jr. (R-Fairfax) defended Angelone's right to exclude the Connecticut agency, saying, 'He has to control the policy on the prisons.'

But several lawmakers from both parties echoed the comments by Callahan and Howell.

'I really don't think there's any problem with Wallens Ridge,' said Del. David B. Albo (R-Fairfax), a member of the Crime Commission, 'But it's my feeling that if the state is accepting money from another state they should be able to come down and review the facilities' " (Craig Timberg, The Washington Post, July 26, 2001).