The West Virginia Legislature is one-fourth of the way through the 2021 session, and thus far the focus has largely been on areas other than criminal justice. Legislation concerning criminal law that has been passed out of committees includes a juvenile restorative justice program and several bills that enhance sentences for certain crimes. Last Friday,…
Criminal Justice
West Virginia Public Broadcasting - A bill to rewrite state law for hundreds of criminal offenses cleared the House of Delegates following less than half an hour of debate Wednesday. Read the full article. Over the course of nearly 400 pages, House Bill 2017 updates hundreds of crimes and replaces the state’s process for sentencing with a…
Mountain State Spotlight, The Record Delta - Autumn came, followed by winter, and John Hammond remained in jail. Read the full article. “I miss being around my wife, my kids,” the 48-year-old said in a phone call from Central Regional Jail in December. Men were arguing loudly in the background. He did his best to ignore…
West Virginia MetroNews - When she was first sentenced to time in prison, a West Virginia woman said she did not know what to expect. Read the full article. “You’ve got to learn hard and you’ve got to learn fast,” said Crystal Allen who served three years in prison for shooting her first husband. When…
West Virginia Public Broadcasting - Over the last few years, members of the West Virginia Legislature have passed a handful of laws aimed at reforming the state’s criminal justice system. Read the full article. But no one could’ve anticipated the toll that the coronavirus pandemic would have until lawmakers were just adjourning in March 2020.…
West Virginia Public Broadcasting - On this West Virginia Morning, the West Virginia Legislature will convene for its 2021 regular session this week. We hear from a few lawmakers about their priorities this session for criminal justice reform. Also, in this show, we hear the second part in a series from the Ohio Valley ReSource on…
Martinsburg Journal - Over the last 40 years female incarceration in West Virginia has exploded, growing by a staggering 2,731 percent from 1978 to 2019. Over the same period, the state’s population has declined by nearly seven percent. What could explain such exponential growth in female incarceration as our overall population has declined? Read the…
Charleston Gazette-Mail - West Virginia is incarcerating more people than its regional jail system is meant to hold, and it is costing some county governments more money than they can pay. Read the full article. At least 10 counties in West Virginia are more than 90 days past due on a combined $9 million in…
West Virginia MetroNews - With the 2021 legislative session in West Virginia just weeks away, criminal justice reform is being discussed and priorities are taking shape during a summit in West Virginia. Read the full article. American Friends Service Committee, WV Council of Churches, WV Center on Budget and Policy, ACLU-WV, and Appalachian Prison Book…
February 10 marks the beginning of West Virginia’s 85th Legislature, and with this session lawmakers will have the opportunity to build upon their 2020 criminal justice reform efforts. The following are the criminal justice priorities for the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy. Immediately Protect Incarcerated People and Correctional Facility Staff Evidence is clear…