CHARLESTON (WV News) — The West Virginia Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has made progress in addressing staffing shortages, but hundreds of uniformed positions remain unfilled, Commissioner David Kelly told lawmakers Tuesday.

Kelly, who was appointed by Gov. Patrick Morrisey in June and is a former member of the West Virginia House of Delegates, said more than 400 positions are vacant across the division’s facilities.

“As of July, we have over 410 vacancies — that’s uniform and nonuniform,” Kelly said during a meeting of the West Virginia Legislature’s Oversight Committee on Corrections and Public Safety. “That doesn’t sound like a lot — and it’s really not — but that’s not good enough for me. I want to find a way to bring those vacancies down.”

Kelly pointed to a $21 mill

See Full Page