Introduction We are currently in a mental health crisis both nationally and in West Virginia. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, youth across the country were experiencing mental health challenges, but during the pandemic there were steep increases in the number of youth experiencing anxiety and depression. The pandemic led to new stressors for youth, including school…
Reports & Briefs
Introduction Nearly everyone agrees that policymakers and citizens should do all we can to make West Virginia a place where families and businesses can thrive. Vibrant communities, safe neighborhoods, high-quality education, strong infrastructure, and healthy residents are shared goals for most West Virginians. READ THE FULL REPORT. Recently the conversation about improving West Virginia has…
Overview According to the state constitution, West Virginians are guaranteed “a thorough and efficient system of free schools” provided by the Legislature. However, the ability of our state to fulfill this guarantee for the nearly 90 percent of school-aged children in West Virginia who attend public schools is currently threatened by a variety of challenges.…
Introduction This report is the 17th edition of the State of Working West Virginia, an annual series that examines West Virginia’s economy through the lens of its workers—the people who power our state and our economy. Previous editions have examined data on employment, income, racial disparities, job quality, and economic performance. While each year’s report…
This report was co-released by the WVCBP and the Midian Leadership Project. Introduction In the spring of 2023, we at the Midian Leadership Project teamed up with the American Friends Service Committee to host listening sessions with young adults who had spent part of their childhood in the criminal legal system. Read the full report.…
Overview In recent years, much attention in West Virginia and around the country has focused on the need for quality, affordable care for families with young children. As advocates have long emphasized, child care (and care work more broadly) makes all other work possible. As such, public investments in child care could be considered to…
Overview Read the full brief here. West Virginia’s state constitution requires that, “the Legislature shall provide, by general law, for a thorough and efficient system of free schools.” But due to a confluence of factors, including a growing Hope Scholarship voucher program, declining state revenues due to sweeping tax cuts, and the end of federal…
Please note, this report was co-authored by WVCBP executive director, Kelly Allen, and WVCBP child welfare summer research fellow, Veronica Witikko. Overview Read the full report here. West Virginia’s future depends on our ability as a state to nurture the health and well-being of the next generation of West Virginians—our children. Essential to that goal is…
This report is the 16th edition of the State of Working West Virginia, an annual series that examines the state of West Virginia’s economy through the lens of its workers—the people who power our state and our economy. Previous editions have examined data on employment, income, racial disparities, job quality, and the past decade’s economic…
Since 2015, West Virginia prisons have sent more than $57.1 million out of state to pay for food served in its prisons. Privatizing prison food has resulted in poorer food quality and worse health outcomes. A 2022 class-action lawsuit filed against the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DCR) alleged unconstitutional conditions of confinement, including the serving of…