Tag: West Virginia Regional Jail and Correctional Facility Authority

West Virginia Jail Rates Unchanging; Counties Owe $13.4 Million

West Virginia’s Regional Jail and Correctional Facility Authority has agreed to keep the per diem rate for inmates at $48.25 next year.

According to the state Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety, the authority board vote this week was unanimous.

The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports that the rate has been the same since 2013 and is one of the lowest in the country.

According to state officials, West Virginia counties owe $13.4 million to the authority for housing inmates, and $5.7 million of that is more than 90 days overdue.

W.Va. Jail Sued Over Response to Water Crisis

A lawsuit claims some West Virginia inmates were so desperate for water they tried to drink from toilets during a water crisis.

The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports the suit was filed on behalf of inmates at South Central Regional Jail between Jan. 9-14, 2014. That was at a time when area residents were told not to use water for anything but flushing toilets and fighting fires due to a chemical spill in a river.

The West Virginia Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union filed the suit in federal court in Charleston.

The suit contains many more allegations about how the West Virginia Regional Jail and Correctional Facility Authority handled the water crisis.

The state Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety has defended allegations about how inmates were treated.

W.Va. Inmates May Gain iPad and Tablet Access

Officials say West Virginia jail inmates could soon have access to Apple iPads and other digital tablets.

The Charleston Daily Mail reports that state jails director David Farmer said Monday that while discussions for the idea are very early on, state officials may consider allowing inmates to purchase or lease iPads and Android-based tablets with their commissary money.

Farmer told the Regional Jail Authority board that doing so could improve the quality of life behind bars and decrease altercations between troublesome inmates. He also says that introducing tablets could benefit the authority and inmates by generating revenue and providing extended access to online law libraries, GED classes and other rehabilitative resources.

Prisons in at least seven states grant such access, albeit on stripped-down devices that have limited Internet access.

Group Seeks Reduction in W.Va. Regional Jail Phone Fees

An inmate advocacy group is seeking a reduction of phone fees charged to prisoners in regional jails.

Stories from South Central says the West Virginia Division of Corrections reduced its fees for inmate phone calls at the state’s prisons. The group says the West VirginiaRegional Jail and Correctional Facilities Authority should follow suit.

Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety spokesman Lawrence Messina tells The Charleston Gazette that the fee reduction at prisons is due to a different vendor winning the contract.

Messina says the regional jail authority hopes to obtain the best deal for the jail system and inmates when it awards a new contract. The current contract expires at the end of August.

Regional Jails Adding Video Visitations With Inmates

Video kiosks are being setting up in West Virginia’s regional jails to allow visitations with inmates without going to the facilities.

The Central Regional Jail in Braxton County and the Western Regional Jail in Cabell County currently offer video visitation. Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety spokesman Lawrence Messina tells The Dominion Post that video kiosks are expected to be operational in the other regional jails by the end of the summer.

Messina says video visitations are an option. They won’t replace face-to-face visits.

He says family or friends can use the service from any device that has a video connection and a secure Web browser. There will be a $1 per minute charge, with a limit of 15 minutes.

New Permanent Chief of W.Va. Jail Authority Named

 The interim chief of the state’s regional jail agency has gotten the job permanently: David Farmer.

The West Virginia Regional Jail and Correctional Facility Authority’s board promoted David Farmer to executive director on this week.

Farmer had been appointed interim director in March after Joe DeLong resigned as head of the 10-jail system.

Before becoming interim director, Farmer served as deputy chief of operations for the authority and director of its training academy.

He also was administrator of the South Western Regional Jail and as director of inmate services of the South Central Regional Jail.

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