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National Guard could be out of West Virginia jails by May, officials say

(Capitol Notes - Graphic Illustration/MetroCreative)

CHARLESTON — The light above the State Capitol Building’s dome remains lit for the state of emergency for West Virginia’s staff vacancies in jails and prisons, but officials said Wednesday there could be light at the end of the tunnel.

According to testimony Wednesday morning before the House Jails and Prisons Committee, remaining members of the West Virginia National Guard helping fill non-inmate-related job responsibilities in the state’s system of 11 prisons, 10 regional jails, 10 juvenile centers and three work-release sites could be fully mustered out by April or May.

“We’re continuing to draw down on the National Guard, which has been a tremendous savings for us going forward,” said William Marshall, commissioner of the state Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DCR). “We’re hopeful by the end of April or the early part of May that we’ll be able to have all the National Guard drawn out of our facilities.”

West Virginia has been under its second state of emergency for correctional officer and staff vacancies in the state’s prison and jail sites since August 2022. At one point, the statewide vacancy rate for correctional officers was more than 30%, with some individual facilities having officer vacancy rates higher than 60%.

The National Guard was brought in – along with some officers from the Division of Natural Resources – to assist DCR with staffing shortages, providing services with no direct interaction with inmates.

At one point, more than 350 National Guard members were in state prisons and jails, with approximately $30 million spent for these deployments.

According to Marshall, a certain number of guard members have been processed out of jails and prisons on a weekly basis. Marshall said it costs DCR $3,500 per guard member per month, but since beginning to process out guard members from jails and prisons, the state has saved more than $200,000 – or the equivalent of 57 guard members.

“I would be remiss if I didn’t mention what an awesome and excellent job they’ve done for us,” Marshall said. “They are so professional and so regimented. They look great. They are so positive.”

As a result of the National Guard deployment in state correctional facilities, Marshall said many former guard members are now going through the Corrections Academy and becoming full-time correctional officers. DCR has been working with the Division of Personnel to help get guard members transitioning to correctional officers offers above the starting pay for officers without previous military or law enforcement experience.

“It’s almost a natural transition for them to come from the National Guard into our facilities and be an officer,” Marshall said. “We’ve hired probably a couple dozen of them already, and I’m really excited about having them in our facilities. They already bringing that professionalism, that discipline, and that structure with them.”

Issues in the state correctional system have been front and center the last several years. The state recently settled a class action lawsuit at the Southern Regional Jail near Beckley over overcrowding and poor conditions at the jail. Several inmates have died at the facility, including the death last week of a 19-year-old inmate. The state is in the middle of another class action lawsuit challenging the conditions, staffing issues, and overcrowding across the state correctional system.

Last summer, Gov. Jim Justice signed six corrections bills following a special legislative session last August, including Senate Bill 1005, providing $21.1 million to increase the starting pay and change pay scales for correctional officers; and Senate Bills 1003 and 1004, providing nearly $6 million for one-time bonuses for support staff in the correctional system beginning in October.

House Bill 4734, recommended for passage earlier this month by the House Jails and Prisons Committee and pending before the House Finance Committee, would provide a permanent pay raise for non-uniformed correctional staff at a cost of $15.2 annually if approved by the Legislature.

Marshall said the state has been divided into four regions, with DCR personnel tasked with recruiting new employees in those regions. DCR is in the process of multiple deferred maintenance projects at jails and prisons thanks to a $60 million appropriation that went into effect this fiscal year. The Correctional Academy just graduated another 53 new officers, with 483 new officers trained in 2023. And overcrowding has been reduced across the system.

Marshall said he is not sure when Justice will rescind the state of emergency for correctional staff vacancies. But he said even if the symbolic emergency light is turned off on the Capitol dome, the work will continue.

“That’s been one of my goals from day one … to have that light turned off because until that light’s turned off, I don’t feel like that we’ve really gotten there quite yet,” Marshall said.

Steven Allen Adams can be reached at sadams@newsandsentinel.com

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