CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The House of Delegates will next consider a bill that would give West Virginia circuit judges the option of giving convicted criminals seven years of probation instead of five.
The bill (SB 41), which was approved back on Friday in the state Senate, would help crime victims in the area of restitution, Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Charlie Trump (R-Morgan) said.
“There are cases, if probation is terminated (after five years), it basically makes it harder for those collections of restitution for victims of crimes to occur,” Trump said.
The bill does not make seven years probation mandatory. It would be at the discretion of the circuit judge, Trump said.