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Reporting from West Virginia about prison economy realities

By Douglas A. Berman

Two articles today from the Times West Virginian provide another effective local perspective on my favorite real-politick mantra, "It's the prison economy, stupid."  The lead article, headlined "Running out of room: Drug courts one option in reducing prison overcrowding," starts this way: As in many other states, the prison population in West Virginia is increasing quickly.  Although violent crimes are on the decline, the population of West Virginia?s prisons is quickly outgrowing the capacity of the state?s facilities, according to Joe Thornton, deputy secretary of the West Virginia Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety, which is the agency that oversees the Division of Corrections. Currently the state has room for 5,000 prisoners in state prisons...continue to full post

Full post as published by Sentencing Law and Policy on January 25, 2009 (boomark / email).