By Roger Adkins, Charleston Gazette-Mail
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia is adding nearly 300 new correctional officers to combat an ongoing staffing shortage in the state’s jails and prisons.
Corrections staffing issues have been a persistent challenge in West Virginia, with the state facing a critical shortage of COs and non-uniformed staff. According to the Department of Commerce, in a recent count, there were 1,007 vacancies across the state’s prisons, jails and juvenile centers.
The situation has been severe enough that more than 300 West Virginia National Guard members began assisting in staffing facilities after Gov. Jim Justice declared a state of emergency in August 2022.
Investment in jail system infrastructure, salaries
To address the staffing shortages, the Legislature approved, and Justice signed into law a package of bills that allocated around $100 million to improve the jail system, including $21 million to increase salaries for correctional officers.
Additionally, the department has undertaken an internal restructuring of its hiring process and renewed its focus on recruitment and retention.
Justice announced the new hirings during an administration briefing on Wednesday.
