Will the West Virginia Senate vote to raise your county jail bill?

By: Tim DiPiero

Outlets: West Virginia Watch

Published: March 11, 2026

Words: 752

Last Updated: 4 months, 3 weeks ago

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West Virginia is staring down a crisis of rising jail bills. At the start of this month, six out of 10 of the state’s regional jails were overcrowded. Worse yet, 2,555 people were legally innocent — people awaiting trial.

The cost of all this inefficiency and cruelty is staggering. Last year’s $49.1 million jail bill was the highest ever, and it will get worse. Thanks to a run of kick-the-can policies, even …

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