West Virginia Corrections Commissioner Jim Rubenstein is retiring this spring.
The West Virginia Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety issued a news release Wednesday night announcing Rubenstein’s retirement effective April 1. He has been commissioner since 2001.
The release said several construction projects were completed during Rubenstein’s tenure, including facilities in Berkeley, Kanawha, Mason, Pleasants, Randolph and Wood counties.
It also mentions his role in the annual Mock Prison Riot at the former West Virginia Penitentiary in Moundsville. The release said a total of 1,234 participants from 36 states and 29 foreign countries attended last year.
And the department said in 2013, Rubenstein led efforts that produced reforms in West Virginia and resulted in the first inmate population decrease in modern history.