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| W.Va. prison bill takes on drug treatment, parole |
| By bdtonline.com |
| Published: 02/16/2012 |
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CHARLESTON — West Virginia lawmakers are considering a series of policy reforms to ease the state’s overcrowded prisons The Senate is chipping its way through a massive omnibus bill to tackle the overcrowding problem that has left regional jails stuffed and has spurred concerns of riots at the state’s prisons. State officials hope to avoid building a new prison to hold the additional 1,700 inmates currently being housed in regional jails throughout the state. The state’s drug abuse problem is driving the uptick in the prison population. Lawmakers charged with crafting the final bill say they want to provide the resources to expand drug treatment options within the Department of Corrections. About three-fourths of all inmates are incarcerated due to drug crimes or drug addiction-related crimes, said Sen. Dan Foster, D-Kanawha, and lead sponsor of the bill. “We’ve got to deal with their substance abuse, not just lock them up,” Foster said. Drug abusers are more likely to reoffend if they don’t get treatment for their addiction. In the long run, it is cheaper for the state and safer for society to provide treatment first, Foster said. A subcommittee began working Wednesday to revise the bill before it could go before the Senate Judiciary committee. Lawmakers are considering various options, including giving the Department of Corrections the flexibility to increase the number of beds dedicated to its substance abuse program. The bill could allow inmates to reduce their sentences by taking academic classes. The bill might also suggest bail schedules so that judges set bail uniformly from county to county. Read More. |
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