National Guard Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Regional Jails Undergo Investment Reform, Recruitment Efforts

Regional jails in West Virginia have long struggled with staffing and safety issues. Investment reforms and recruiting efforts from state leadership aim to solve these issues.

As West Virginia’s strained jail system faces ongoing safety concerns, reinvestment and recruitment efforts aim to amend facility issues on a state level.

The Legislative Oversight Committee on Regional Jail and Correctional Facility Authority convened for a public meeting Monday at the State Capitol. Their meeting centered around changes to staffing and oversight in the state’s jail facilities.

West Virginia’s jail system has come under national scrutiny for the alleged mistreatment of people who are incarcerated, including neglect, water deprivation and the deaths of tens of individuals in less than five years.

Last year, eight correctional officers at Southern Regional Jail in Beaver were charged over an assault that led to the death of a man who was incarcerated in the facility.

Carl Reynolds, senior legal and policy advisor at the Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center, spoke to lawmakers about “justice reinvestment” — the reallocation of funds from jails to other areas of the criminal justice system.

By providing investments “further upstream,” like in law enforcement, victim services and parole supervision, Reynolds said the state’s jail system can reduce expenses associated with incarceration.

The CSG Justice Center uses federal funds to work with officials on the state level and analyze data pertaining to state criminal justice systems. They then advise state leadership on potential changes to make.

Justice reinvestment refers to the reallocation of funding for jails toward other areas of the criminal justice system.

*Photo Credit: Will Price/WV Legislative Photography*

Reynolds said representatives from his organization have met with leaders from all three branches of government in West Virginia and have received approval to pursue this work in the Mountain State.

Justice reinvestment is an idea that West Virginia has recently begun to embrace.

Gov. Jim Justice awarded more than $2.6 million in grant funds to treatment supervision programs across the state in 2023, followed by an additional $2.4 million in 2024. These programs offer substance abuse interventions to some individuals convicted of felony drug offenses.

Reynolds said that his organization is currently collecting information and ideas from state officials on how to approach reinvestment efforts in West Virginia.

“This is an open-minded, open-ended process where we want to find out what’s important to you all and to the other stakeholders in the system,” he said.

In the meantime, recruitment efforts in West Virginia jails could also address issues in the West Virginia corrections system, according to Pat Mirandy, chief of staff for the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DCR).

Mirandy said Monday that recruitment efforts have been “nothing more than miraculous over the past few months.”

Since Jan. 1, Mirandy said the DCR has hired 291 correctional officers and 49 additional, non-officer personnel members. Also since Jan. 1, 162 individuals have completed DCR corrections training, he said.

Pat Mirandy, chief of staff for the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation, updates lawmakers on recruitment efforts in West Virginia’s jail system.

*Photo Credit: Will Price/WV Legislative Photography*

Union representatives have long said that understaffing in the state’s jail system has created additional safety risks for workers, which also extend to individuals who are incarcerated.

In 2022, Justice issued a state of emergency proclamation over the staffing issues, which allowed members of the West Virginia National Guard to fill in vacancies in the jail system.

But the ongoing recruiting efforts could mean National Guard members will no longer be needed in the state’s jail system, Mirandy said.

At the beginning of the year, Mirandy said 413 National Guard members were working for the DCR. Now, that number has fallen to approximately 80.

During the meeting, Del. Bryan Ward, R-Hardy, said these staffing improvements marked “a lot to be proud of” for the agency.

Mirandy said that by May the DCR anticipates only five guard members will remain with the agency, staying on to complete “paperwork that needed to be done to close out the soldiers that we had in our facilities.”

“Because of the success of our recruiting efforts, we’ve been able to draw down the National Guard’s footprint in our agency,” he said. “Our plan to eventually achieve no guardsmen in our facilities will be a reality soon.”

W.Va. National Guard Deployed To Fight Wildfires In Hardy County

West Virginia National Guard personnel were deployed to Hardy County Friday. They have joined an effort to put out wildfires sweeping across eastern West Virginia and neighboring states.

The West Virginia National Guard has joined efforts to put out wildfires spreading across eastern West Virginia and neighboring states.

Two helicopters and several National Guard personnel were deployed to Hardy County on Friday.

They aim to assist the West Virginia Division of Forestry and other emergency response personnel in quenching the blazes.

The deployment of National Guard personnel follows Gov. Jim Justice’s state of emergency declaration Thursday afternoon.

The National Guard said more than 4,000 acres of land has burned as of Friday.

Helicopters in use by the National Guard can hold 630 gallons of water each, which personnel then disperse over wildfires from above. This helps target areas of the wildfires that are unsafe for emergency responders to approach on the ground.

“Our aircrews have extensive experience in helping to combat wildland fires,” said Bill Crane, adjutant general of the West Virginia National Guard in a press release Thursday.

“We will do all we can to help bring these fires under control to protect lives and property in the impacted communities,” he said.

Dropping water onto wildfires from above allows firefighters to extinguish fires that are unsafe for ground personnel to approach.
*Photo Credit: West Virginia National Guard*

Jail, Prison National Guard Fill-In Worker Drawdown Beginning

Details are emerging on the plan to draw down National Guard members from their emergency work in correctional facilities around the state.

Since Gov. Jim Justice declared a State of Emergency in August 2022, hundreds of National Guard members have filled non-inmate contact posts in what was then the state’s vastly under-staffed jails and prisons. In October 2023, Corrections Commissioner William Marshall said there were between 330 and 340 Guard members filling in.

With more than 270 new jail guard recruits on-board since last October, the National Guard and the Division of Corrections and Rehabilitations said they now have ten facilities where the National Guard presence will be reduced in steps.

The National Guard, Corrections and Justice all said the goal is to have all guard members out of jail and prison work by the end of Summer 2024.

Justice first announced the drawdown in his State of the State address Wednesday. In his weekly briefing on Friday, he talked about the new corrections hires coming on.

“We are aggressively recruiting folks to be able to put them in positions,” Justice said. “People that are qualified in every way. With the pay raises and everything, we’ve got a real leg up to be able to get there as far as hiring the correctional officers.”

In a press release detailing the transition period, Human Resources staff are on site to assist any National Guard member showing a desire for long-term employment with the Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

The release said more than 40 National Guard members have expressed an interest in applying for Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation positions. Eight National Guard members have already secured employment during this transition.

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County Officials Prepare To Request Federal Assistance For Communities Hit Hard By Floods

“We had no warning. The high river was our warning,” Carper said. “When the calls started coming to 911 and people were literally running out of their homes fleeing, and roads were being covered up, washed out, that was our warning. And then the National Weather Service put out just about the strongest alert they know how to put out for floods.”

The unofficial damage toll for communities hit the hardest by Monday and Tuesday’s floods will not be known for several days. And that’s if the weather cooperates.

Kanawha County Commission President Kent Carper said he has talked with people who have suffered devastating loss after up to nine inches of rain fell in a short span of time in some areas.

Carper said the unusual weather pattern created the perfect storm for areas already deluged by a downpour of rain on Saturday.

“They were already saturated, the creeks were full, ” Carper said. “There was nowhere for this massive amount of rain to go.”

While immediate rescue efforts by the National Guard and firefighters mitigated a potential loss of life, reports of damage to properties and homes is high. Carper said he sees the need to request federal assistance and attempt to meet the disaster declaration threshold to offset the flood damage.

“We’re going to work with our citizens, neighbors, friends, try to get federal assistance, work with Congress, with Senators Manchin and Capito, and Congresswoman Miller,” Carper said. “We always hear, ‘Well there weren’t that many deaths.’ Well, when someone loses everything they own, that is devastating.”

The Kanawha County Commission meanwhile has announced supply distribution points for flood victims at the following locations from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily.

Belle Town Hall located at 1100 E Dupont Ave, Belle
Chesapeake Town Hall located at 12404 MacCorkle Ave SE, Chesapeake

Donations, specifically, contractor grade trash bags, bleach, push brooms, and shovels will be gratefully accepted. People are requested to not drop off clothing at these locations.

The Kanawha-Charleston Health Department will be administering free tetanus vaccines in Belle this week for those affected by recent flooding.

The mobile shot clinic will be at the Belle Town Hall distribution site Wednesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

“Floodwaters carry disease-causing organisms that can lead to serious illness or even death,” Dr. Steven Eshenaur, KCHD’s Health Officer said. “Foremost, stay out of the floodwaters. If you’ve already been in them or are conducting cleanup now, please make sure your tetanus shot is up to date”

Eshenaur said Tetanus is a serious disease but is easily preventable. “If you get a wound – small or large – tend to it immediately. Bacteria can invade your body through the smallest punctures and scratches.”

KCHD will have Environmental Health staff in the affected area this week to answer questions, test private and community wells, and help provide public health safety guidance for businesses so they can reopen as soon as possible.

Residents of homes with private or community wells are advised to contact KCHD for testing of any well, pump, springs, cisterns or pipes that have been exposed to floodwaters. Private water system testing of in-use wells serving flood-impacted homes will be free.

Call 304-348-8050 to make an appointment.

Fixing W.Va. Corrections Crisis Has Hints Of Possible Resolution

Legislators say fixing the state’s corrections crisis is not just about money. And when it does come to money, they say it’s not just about a one-time funding fix.

Information from the WV Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation shows there are still more than a thousand open jobs overall. The vacancy rate for corrections officers alone is more than 33 percent. The state’s correctional system consists of 11 prisons, 10 regional jails, 10 juvenile centers and three work-release sites.

In a media briefing earlier this week, Gov. Jim Justice said there may be some steps taken toward resolution next month.

“It’s likely in August before we can have a special session,” Justice said. “Our folks are meeting constantly with the folks upstairs.”

Folks upstairs means legislators. Rep. David Kelly, R-Tyler, and House Jails and Prisons Committee Chair, said the meetings are constant and moving toward a consensus.

“We’ve been working diligently through the summer,” Kelly said. “We’re trying to come up with a plan that everyone can get behind. I think we’re getting closer and closer, and it would be my hope and my desire that we could present something in our August interim legislative meetings.”

Kelly said there are issues that need to be resolved besides the low pay scale for West Virginia corrections personnel when compared to border states.

“There’s a lot of factors that go into these discussions,” Kelly said. “One of the things is, how can we make a pathway forward to try to reduce the overcrowding there?”

Kelly said discussions also include incentives to recruit corrections personnel other than simply using money. He said possible college payments were under discussion, but said there has been no talk about subsidizing childcare.

Kelly said the often-discussed raises, locality pay and possible bonus amounts have not been agreed upon. He did say however, that they will not be packaged as a one-time funding fix, but designated over perpetuity – as “base building.”

“If any legislation is passed,” Kelly said. “It will be built into the budget every year thereafter. That’s what I mean by ‘base building’.”

Kelly said keeping 379 national guard members working corrections jobs under an emergency executive order, duties costing taxpayers $20 million a year, can’t last.

“Those numbers are unsustainable,” Kelly said. “We’ve got to find a pathway forward, to turn the light out above the dome, and to get people through the door that can be hired and that we can retain.”

Justice began his correction crisis comments by giving a potential resolution date and expressing hope for a conclusive outcome. He ended those comments with not quite as much optimism..

“There’s no point in calling a special session, spending your money for two or three days or a week or whatever it may be,” Justice said. “To listen to 15 different solutions and go nowhere. We don’t need that. We’ve got to come to an agreement, and we’re working on it.”

Justice Sending 50 W.Va. National Guard Troops To Southern Border

Gov. Jim Justice announced he was committing 50 soldiers and airmen from the West Virginia National Guard to Texas “to help respond to the crisis at the southern border.”

In a hastily called administration media briefing, Gov. Jim Justice announced he was committing 50 soldiers and airmen from the West Virginia National Guard to Texas “to help respond to the crisis at the southern border.”

Justice said he was one of several governors responding to a letter from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott requesting aid at the border.

“I have approved the deployment of members of the West Virginia National Guard (WVNG) to help secure our border, reduce the flood of fentanyl, and combat the human trafficking crisis,” Justice said in a follow up press release.

Justice said training (with weapons) is already underway for the 50 volunteers. He said they are scheduled to go in August for a period of 30 days, but they may be stationed there longer.

The WVNG members will work alongside the Texas National Guard and Texas law enforcement partners to detect, deter, and interdict transnational criminal activity between points of entry. The mission is called Operation Lone Star as a part of an Emergency Management Assistance Compact from Texas.

Justice said the border mission will not interfere with the WVNG members who continue to assist in the state’s corrections personnel crisis.

He said West Virginia has to step up in this case for self-protection.

“If you don’t think there’s a serious problem at the border that affects West Virginia, you’re out of your mind. I mean, the flow of fentanyl for one thing is just absolutely at an epidemic stage,” he said.