Current:Home > FinanceWest Virginia Gov. Justice ends nearly two-year state of emergency over jail staffing-LoTradeCoin
West Virginia Gov. Justice ends nearly two-year state of emergency over jail staffing
View Date:2024-12-23 17:03:21
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice said Friday he is ending the state of emergency over staffing in the state Department of Corrections.
The Republican governor called on the state National Guard to help stop worker attrition at the state’s jails and prisons almost two years ago now. Last summer, the vacancy rate was more than 30%.
“We’re just always proud to run to the fire,” Gen. William E. Crane, Adjutant General of the West Virginia National Guard said during a briefing with the press Friday.
Just over 730 members of the state National Guard worked in 17 of the state’s correctional facilities while the state of emergency was in place, Justice said.
Since January 2024, almost 240 people have graduated from the state’s corrections academy. A total of 38 National Guard members assigned to work in the jails and prisons decided to stay on permanently, Crane said.
Last summer, state lawmakers met in a special session to approve over $21 million for correctional officer pay increases, along with two one-time bonuses of $2,294 for other jail staff who are not correctional officers, like kitchen staff.
Justice previously declared a state of emergency for the state’s jails and prisons in 2017.
veryGood! (6)
Related
- Rachael Ray Details Getting Bashed Over Decision to Not Have Kids
- Cameron Brink set to make Sports Illustrated Swimsuit debut
- Rare Alo Yoga Flash Sale: Don’t Miss 60% Off Deals With Styles as Low as $5
- Justice Department sues to block UnitedHealth Group’s $3.3 billion purchase of Amedisys
- Traveling to Las Vegas? Here Are the Best Black Friday Hotel Deals
- Mike Tyson impresses crowd during workout ahead of Jake Paul fight
- Justice Department sues to block UnitedHealth Group’s $3.3 billion purchase of Amedisys
- Glen Powell Addresses Rumor He’ll Replace Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible Franchise
- Parts of Southern California under quarantine over oriental fruit fly infestation
- 13 Skincare Gifts Under $50 That Are Actually Worth It
Ranking
- Chris Pratt and Katherine Schwarzenegger welcome their first son together
- 'I know how to do math': New Red Lobster CEO says endless shrimp deal is not coming back
- Ben Foster Files for Divorce From Laura Prepon After 6 Years of Marriage
- Charles Hanover: Caution, Bitcoin May Be Entering a Downward Trend!
- 24 more monkeys that escaped from a South Carolina lab are recovered unharmed
- Why Kathy Bates Decided Against Reconstruction Surgery After Double Mastectomy for Breast Cancer
- Deion Sanders doubles down on vow to 99-year-old Colorado superfan
- Mississippi man charged with shooting 5 people after not being allowed into party
Recommendation
-
Sister Wives’ Madison Brush Details Why She Went “No Contact” With Dad Kody Brown
-
Oprah Winfrey denies being paid $1M for Kamala Harris rally: 'I was not paid a dime'
-
TikToker Campbell “Pookie” Puckett Gives Birth, Welcomes First Baby With Jett Puckett
-
Groups seek a new hearing on a Mississippi mail-in ballot lawsuit
-
Florida State can't afford to fire Mike Norvell -- and can't afford to keep him
-
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Take the Day Off
-
Monument erected in Tulsa for victims of 1921 Race Massacre
-
Krispy Kreme is giving free dozens to early customers on World Kindness Day