State no longer considering ‘out of state’ prison plan

The state Division of Corrections announced Monday it was no longer pursuing the possibility of moving some state inmates to out of state prisons because of overcrowding issues.

Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety Secretary Joe Thornton said the new Justice Reinvestment Act is working and there are fewer inmates.

“We remain optimistic that once all of Justice Reinvestment is in place, West Virginia will see an even greater decrease in the inmate population while maintaining the safety and security of its citizens,” Thornton said in a news release.

The state took bids in 2013 from interested contractors that run private prisons in other states. West Virginia thought about moving as many as 400 state inmates who were housed in regional jails because of prison overcrowding. But the same year, Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin proposed and state lawmakers approved the reinvestment act which takes a number of steps to help inmates make parole and cuts down on recidivism.

Officials have previously said the positive impact on prison overcrowding has moved faster than originally expected.