CHALRESTON, W.Va. — Some West Virginia National Guard members are leaving the state’s jails and prisons following an emergency staffing order.
State Corrections Commissioner Billy Marshall announced Friday the order for soldiers working at the Lakin Correctional Center and Jail in Mason County and the Pruntytown Correctional Center and Jail in Taylor County has ended.
Gov. Jim Justice issued the order in Aug. 2022 due to low staffing levels in the state’s correctional facilities. Marshall said they have had as many as 340 soldiers working across the state since then.
Vacancies across the department that were once at record levels have dropped steadily for the past six months, allowing them to develop a plan to begin drawing down the number of soldiers serving in the correctional institutions.
“We were at 1,074 at one time; right now we are under 850, and we are under 550 when it comes to actual officers,” Marshall said.
Marshall said steps are being taken to ensure each soldier on emergency duty has adequate time to plan for their return to an employer or prior duty location. During the transition period, soldiers will have access to the Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s Human Resources staff to plan their next move.
“They’ll be given a few days, maybe a week or more, in order to make arrangements to go back to their normal orders or their former employers,” Marshall said.
Weekly meetings are planned with Marshall and state Adjutant General Bill Crane as both agencies move through the transition period. But, possibly by the end of the fiscal year, emergency duty for soldiers in state correctional institutions could come to an end.
“To make sure that we don’t put one of our facilities in a bind too quickly, the goal is that in the near future, whether that’s in the spring or early summer, we can stand on our own two feet with the people we’ve hired,” Marshall said.
So far, eight of the soldiers have accepted full-time positions with the department, and Marshall said as many as 50 more are considering offers. Many soldiers will be able to parlay their emergency service into an elevated starting position as a full-time employee of the DCR.
“Based upon the experience they’ve had with us and maybe based on previous experience, we’ll be able to bring them in at a higher pay rate than just an entry-level officer,” Marshall said.
During their emergency service, Marshall said the soldiers brought immediate credibility to the department with their level of discipline, respect, and work ethic. The structured environment suits many who have prior military service.
“I talked to one of them recently, and he simply said the money that has been afforded in pay raises to corrections officers is nice, but more importantly, it’s the culture and leadership that make me excited about being here.”