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If the West Virginia Legislature approves an $804 across the board pay increase for state employees, the
West Virginia Department of Corrections will increase the daily rate to house prisoners in their facilities.
The proposed $1.75 increase would bring the day charge to $45 for regional jails.
Corrections Director Steve Canterbury said he hated to increase the rate, since it was raised last year to
give corrections officers a $2000 pay increase.
The corrections system has been on course to develop regional jail systems, doing away with county
facilities, even newer ones, claiming they are not cost effective and cannot meet standards.
Canterbury claims the system is one of the most cost effective in America, but the "daily rate" does not
include the millions of dollars it cost to build regional facilities and pay on the debt load.
Regional jails directly bill counties for prisoner costs, creating financial problems for rural, poor,
low-taxed counties.
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