PRISON OPTIONS WEIGHED

Chief Says New Beds Not Only Way To Solve Problem

The state cannot and should not build the 2,200 prison beds it is projected
to need by the end of the decade, Public Safety Secretary Joe Martin said.

"You and I both know we can't afford to build 2,200 beds," he told members
of the House Judiciary Committee on Friday.

Instead, Martin said the state should take a diversified approach to
solving the state's prison overcrowding problem. He recommended building
some additional beds, updating the state's sentencing structure and further
developing programs like alternative sentencing and community corrections.

The state has about 3,300 inmates, according to Gov. Bob Wise's budget.

In December, the Division of Corrections was over-capacity by 257 inmates
and had an additional 629 inmates in jails around the state, according to a
report from the Office of the Legislative Auditor.

The state had about 670 inmates awaiting transfer from jails to prisons at
the end of January, Martin said Friday.

"The problem has not gone away," he said.

Regional and county jails are not intended for long-term incarceration, he
said. They don't offer the necessary recreation, education or
rehabilitation opportunities.

The current problem is bad enough, Martin said, but it's on track to get
worse. "In short order, we'll begin to hit a very serious overcrowding
problem," he said.

The solution, he said, includes programs like alternative sentencing and
like the community corrections program in the Northern Panhandle. But it
could also include some changes to the state's sentencing structure.

Delegate John Pino, D-Fayette, said he had heard that West Virginia's
sentences were out of line with sentences handed down by judges in
surrounding states. In some ways that's true, Martin said, noting that
there are some "glaring" differences.

Martin recommended that the Legislature take a look at the sentencing
structure to make sure that West Virginia's guidelines fit with the times
and the attitudes of its citizens.

He declined to offer a specific example of a crime with sentencing
guidelines that might need to be changed.

Delegate Bill Stemple, D-Calhoun, pointed out that the state had another
prison population problem besides the overly large number of inmates -- the
low number of prison guards.

The December report from the Legislative Auditor's Office said the Division
of Corrections had 26 percent -- or 260 -- fewer officers than it needed,
according to a National Institute of Corrections study.

Division of Corrections Commissioner Jim Rubenstien said recruiting efforts
were helping to solve the problem. He said Friday the division had 94
vacancies, of which 48 were corrections officers.

The division has 1,568 total positions this fiscal year, according to
Wise's budget.

Corrections officers leave division facilities for higher salaries in
surrounding states and in federal prisons in-state, Martin said.

"Our prison system has become a training ground," he said.

Rubenstein has said it costs the state $5,000 to hire, train and outfit a
corrections officer.

Martin praised Rubenstein's recruitment efforts. He said that salary
increases and improvements in working conditions would also likely be
needed to solve the prison guard shortage.

Under Wise's proposed budget, the division would get 190 new positions to
staff Lakin and St. Mary's correctional facilities.