W.Va. Supreme Court Says No Need For New Prison

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – A panel appointed by the state Supreme Court to study the corrections system says there’s no need to build new facilities to house prisoners.

In a preliminary report released Tuesday, the committee responded to the 14 recommendations made by a Gov. Joe Manchin-appointed group charged with studying West Virginia’s prison system.

The Supreme Court-appointed panel agreed with 12 recommendations, but says there’s no call to build a 1,200-bed medium security prison or to add 300 beds to the St. Marys Correctional Complex.

Fourteenth Judicial Circuit Judge Jack Alsop, chairman of the committee, says West Virginia can’t build its way out of its problem with crowding in prisons and regional jails.

A final report is expected within months.