Governor Accepts Prison Overcrowding Report, Starts Implementation Plan 

“I thank all of the members of the committee for sharing their expertise and experience,” Manchin said. “They have worked tirelessly to develop an informed, resourceful report and I appreciate their efforts. With this information, West Virginia has a plan to deal with a serious problem facing states across the nation.”

The governor is examining other state corrections procedures to evaluate how some of the commission’s recommendations are working in those states and to determine best practices. The governor is working with Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety Secretary Jim Spears, commission members and corrections officials to determine which recommendations can be implemented quickly.

In addition, Gov. Manchin’s staff is meeting with legislative leaders, including Judiciary Chairs Sen. Jeff Kessler and Del. Carrie Webster, to discuss the implementation plan and find which recommendations can be addressed in the coming months and the 2010 regular legislative session. 

“Our corrections facilities are vital, and we must run them as we run state government – in a responsible fashion,” the governor noted. “We’ve done a good job of locking criminals up, but a poor job of rehabilitating them. We need to continue to protect our communities, yet find the right way to rehabilitate offenders who can return to society as productive citizens.

“Make no mistake, we are always going to be tough on crime, but we must adopt a different approach or we will have an insurmountable problem in the near future.

“Our state’s overcrowding issues will not be fixed overnight. So it’s time to roll up our sleeves and, working closely with the Legislature, we will determine the best timeframe and available resources for implementing this plan so that we can solve these problems once and for all.”

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