NEOLA, W.Va. — The $35 million project to refurbish the Anthony Correctional Center and Jail in Greenbrier County is complete.
West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation officials joined other local and state leaders Thursday to mark the conclusion of the two-year project and its grand opening. The Anthony Center is an alternative sentence available for young offenders between the ages of 18 and 25 whose sentences average from six months to two years.
Discovery of black mold in the facility in 2018 spurred the eventual demolition of the main building six years later. State officials said the new facility offers better security, more vocational training space, more modern housing, and better educational spaces. The center was originally built in 1965.
“This modernized facility represents a major reinvestment in public safety and effective rehabilitation,” West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation Commissioner David Kelly said. “The primary goal at Anthony is to intervene early in the lives of young adult offenders, equip them with practical job skills and educational credentials, and return them to West Virginia’s workforce as productive, law-abiding citizens. These infrastructure upgrades give our staff the exact tools needed to reduce recidivism and protect taxpayer dollars.”
The DOC said the facility is about setting youthful West Virginians up for a successful re-entry into their communities after their sentences.