CHARLESTON W.Va. (WVDN) – The West Virginia NAACP Criminal Justice Committee met on July 1, by Zoom. They provided the following report:
Once again, the inmate deaths are of deep concern. In Charleston’s South Central Regional Jail, 2 inmates were found dead in their cells in separate incidents on June 12 and June 17. The deaths are under investigation but similar investigations over the past 5 years have not brought about the needed changes in the overcrowded WV jails and prisons. The retired president of the Jefferson County NAACP, George Rutherford, expressed his continuing deep concern about conditions of jails and prisons and hopes for a fair, thorough and rigorous investigation.
The committee welcomed the June 2 news of David Kelly of Tyler County, a pastor, legislator, and 20-year law enforcement veteran, as Commissioner of the Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation. From his roles in the House of Delegates, pastor, and Commissioner, we hope that he can bring the needed attention to solutions to long-standing issues of deaths, overcrowding, violence, inadequate medical care and sanitation, and other dehumanizing experiences.
Committee chairperson, also a clergyman, Rev. Dr. Robert Graf, expressed hope that the church communities of West Virginia will renew our commitment to forgiveness, compassion and second chances that we daily pray in the Lord’s Prayer. He said, “I call on all the church communities of West Virginia to pray for the success of Pastor Kelly in his new role.” “Incarceration,” Dr. Graf believes, “should be limited to those who are a danger to public safety. We should believe rehabilitation is possible, and find alternatives to incarceration for those who are no longer a danger to public safety. Local church communities can play an important role in the re-entry process after incarceration.”
