Gov. Patrick Morrisey has appointed a long-time corrections employee as the acting commissioner of the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Earlier this month, President Donald Trump selected incumbent commissioner William Marshall III to lead the U.S. Federal Bureau of Prisons. On Monday, Morrisey announced Marshall would be succeeded by a new acting commissioner, Lance Yardley.
Yardley had served as the division’s deputy commissioner since 2024, according to the governor’s office. Earlier in his career, Yardley held positions at South Central Regional Jail, Huttonsville Correctional Center and Pruntytown Correctional Center.
In recent years, West Virginia’s prison and jail system has been mired in controversy. This has included sometimes deadly abuse from correctional officers, plus worker safety concerns and staffing difficulties — each of which has drawn the attention of state officials.
Last year, Marshall told lawmakers that the state had made significant strides in addressing staffing and training issues, with the percentage of vacant correctional positions shrinking to single digits.
As acting commissioner, Yardley will helm the state’s prison system until a long-term successor for the role is identified.
