jails
West Virginia jails staffing levels improving, commissioner says
Staff vacancies within West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation are down to 990, marking the first time since before the COVID-19 pandemic that number has dipped below 1,000, lawmakers were told Monday. William Marshall, commissioner for the state Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation updated members of the Legislative Oversight Committee on Regional Jail and […]
New law could make it even harder to get health care in deadly West Virginia lockups
This article first appeared in Bolts and is reprinted with permission. Deborah Ujevich has forgotten Jenny’s last name, but remembers well how desperately she wanted to be free, how scared she was of dying in prison. Jenny had been locked up for several years by the time Ujevich arrived at West Virginia’s all-women Lakin Correctional Center and Jail. There, […]
Stifling prison heat used to be just a Southern problem. Not anymore.
While sweltering heat in prisons without air conditioning has long been an issue in the South, extreme heat waves worsened by climate change are expanding the problem into Northern states. In recent years, Michigan, Minnesota, South Dakota, Washington and Wisconsin have seen extreme heat in prisons. Many of these states lack the necessary infrastructure for […]
Bills targeting state’s jails crisis head to governor’s desk
State lawmakers on Tuesday signed off on a number of bills that they hope will address long-standing issues in West Virginia’s jails and prisons. The state’s jails crisis, including its 30% correctional officer vacancy, was a central reason why Gov. Jim Justice called a special session Sunday afternoon. The National Guard has been filling in […]
Budget appropriations drag out West Virginia special session; 35 of 44 bills passed
The West Virginia Legislature ended a three-day special session Tuesday, where they passed 35 of 44 bills requested by Gov. Jim Justice. After weeks of anticipation, Justice called the special session on Sunday afternoon with just 30 minute notice. The special session overlapped with previously scheduled interim meetings, leading to several being canceled between Sunday […]
Pay raises, bonuses and more: Legislators tackle jails in second day of special session
Almost exactly a year after Gov. Jim Justice declared a state of emergency for West Virginia’s jails — where correctional officer vacancy rates are at an all-time high and mortality rates for those incarcerated are some of the highest in the nation — the state Legislature tackled a number of proposed laws Monday attempting to […]