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WV JAIL POPULATION STILL INCREASING - Calhoun's Current Jail Bill At $43,000 |
| (05/18/2011) |
| State corrections officials are continuing to tell legislators this week that the West Virginia correctional system is at a breaking point, the state is second in the nation with the number of citizens it is incarcerating. Corrections Commissioner Jim Rubenstein said the state currently has an inmate population of 6,849, including more than 1,700 housed in regional jails. Corrections officials say if nothing changes, WV will have 8,500 inmates in five years. Rubenstein says at least 80% of the lock-ups are related to alcohol and drug issues. "Our facilities are full ... The regional jails are full, and not only full but beyond their original design capacities," Rubenstein said. The spin-off crisis is for WV counties and taxpayers being able to afford locking up more people. Critics have questioned the huge numbers, saying West Virginians are surely not more criminal, with the state's crime statistics for violent crimes relatively low. Calhoun's regional jail bill for April with delinquent payments totaled $43,753, reported at the last commission meeting. The Calhoun commissioners, after several recent cursory evaluations, concluded that individuals incarcerated in Central Regional Jail appeared necessary. Calhoun's financial woes appear to be small compared to the millions of dollars some counties are paying, but nonetheless, with a very small budget, the problem is real. Rubenstein said the inmate population has grown despite efforts to implement the majority of recommendations made by the Governor's Commission on Prison Overcrowding in 2009. He told legislators that a new 1,200-bed prison would cost between $120 million and $200 million, and that is just the cost of construction. Millions more would be needed for operation. The Goliath corrections system was born after federal and state officials ordered small county jails closed, saying they did not meet standards. See related story WV HAS LOW RECIDIVISM RATE FROM CRIMES - But Nearly Leads Nation In Prison Growth
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