West Virginia is among a group of states leading criminal-justice reform with the help of The Just Trust, a national philanthropy group.
Workforce and skill building, expungement and housing help for formerly incarcerated people or preparing people to move to community supervision, or from supervision to a full exit, can improve the lives of people re-entering society and their families.
Ana Zamora, founder and CEO of The Just Trust, said work is also being done to improve conditions for people in prisons She noted that the current lack of prison guards impacts incarcerated people’s ability to eat meals, seek medical or dental care, or perform duties.
“We have a shortage of prison guards. It’s a real problem,” she said. “So improving the middle of the funnel, as we say, is a critical part of the work of justice reform.”
Nationwide, there are more than 31,000 vacant guard positions each year. Census data shows state prisons lost around 12% of their full-time workforce between 2013 and 2023, with nearly all of decline occurring during the pandemic years. At the same time, West Virginia has struggled to address jail overcrowding.
Zamora said time spent in prison and the criminal justice system should function as a stepping stone toward a different life.
“It should be not a place for punishment for the sake of punishment,” she said, “but a place to grow and have every opportunity to choose a different path and lead a life where you are a contributing member of your community.”
A poll released this year found that most Mountain State voters support criminal-justice reform in the state, including strong support for policies that safely reduce the prison population.
