West Virginia Legislative Photography
Over the last few years, members of the West Virginia Legislature have passed a handful of laws aimed at reforming the state’s criminal justice system.
But no one could’ve anticipated the toll that the coronavirus pandemic would have until lawmakers were just adjourning in March 2020. The devastation has not missed state-run correctional facilities, where data shows that more than 3,500 incarcerated people and staff have been infected at one point or another since March.
This year, advocates aren’t only planning to advance the work they’ve accomplished so far, they’re also looking at bills under a new, public health-related light.