West Virginia Prison Reform Bill Expands Drug Programs

CAHRLESTON, W. Va. — Legislators of West Virginia are poised to sign into law a prison reform bill that hopes to ease overcrowding and also expand substance abuse programs for inmates.

Senate Bill 375, proposed by Governor Earl Ray Tomblin and passed by the House in an 81-17 vote last week, permits the early release of non-violent inmates and the extension of drug court programs in order to address substance abuse related recidivism.

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The Management of Inmates: How to Avoid a Prison Break

MT. OLIVE, W. Va. — In September, there was an attempted jailbreak from the Mount Olive Correctional Complex in West Virginia. In this interview, Jennifer Ballard, director of programs, West Virginia Division of Corrections, highlights the challenges of managing the volume of prisoners in correctional facilities.

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Recycling Efforts Recognized at FCI-McDowell

WELCH, W.Va. — All the Federal Bureau of Prisons are required to have a recycling program, but the program at FCI-McDowell in Welch, W.Va., is receiving praise for going above and beyond — and creating savings for the facility.

The program started back in 2010 and has been creating a buzz around the facility and in the correctional industry.

“In the first quarter of this year [2012] we’ve diverted 227,859 pounds of waste from the facility,” said M. Austin, recycling technician at McDowell.

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W. Va. Governor Considering New Prison

CHARLESTON, W. Va. — West Virginia lawmakers learned that an all-time high of 1,700 people sentenced to prison remain in jails because of a lack of bed space at state Division of Corrections facilities, and that number is projected to nearly double to 3,200 in five years.
 
The state’s prison or prison-bound population, including those awaiting transfers from jails, topped 6,880 in April. The state estimates that those numbers will swell to 8,500 in 2016 and then to 9,700 by the end of 2020.
 
Acting Gov.

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W.Va. Jail Chief Could Be Fired

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The chief of operations for the state Regional Jail Authority may be fired after a court hearing for his aggravated DUI arrest is held in late June.
 
John L. King II was suspended without pay after he was arrested in April for driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.239, according to a criminal complaint filed after King was arrested in South Charleston, W. VA.

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