Eligible Inmates Not Paroled

{Charleston, West Virginia}...Joe Thornton, secretary of the state Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety, says nearly 1,600 West Virginia eligible inmates were not paroled during the past three years, costing the state $35 million. Thornton says the inmates couldn't be paroled because they lacked a mandatory plan for release, which is required for all parolees. Thornton told state lawmakers Tuesday that West Virginia will continue to struggle with overcrowded jails and prisons until the problem is addressed.