By Courtney Hessler, The Herald-Dispatch
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A bill pushed forward in the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday would take some workload caused by mental hygiene orders off local sheriffs’ departments.
House Bill 3043 would allow county sheriffs to enter into agreements with the West Virginia Department of Corrections to transport inmates accused of mental illness to hearings and the facilities to which they have been committed.
Currently, all mental hygiene order execution duties solely fall on sheriffs. For sheriffs in counties that house one of the 10 regional jail systems, such as Western Regional Jail in Cabell County, the duty has become a burden.
Lead sponsor Delegate Lisa Zukoff, D-Marshall, said she found the need for change when Wheeling, West Virginia — another location of a regional jail — lost the Ohio Valley Medical Center and the psychiatric services it provided…
