West Virginia’s Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation continues to face a challenge experienced by many private employers: staffing shortages and pay rates that haven’t been able to keep up with inflation.

David Kelly, commissioner of the DCR, reported to lawmakers this week that as of July there were still 410 vacancies of uniformed and non-uniformed personnel, with 223 vacancies of correctional officers across all facilities.

The difference between most employers in the state and the DCR is that staffing shortages don’t result in a legitimate state of emergency or require the deployment of the West Virginia National Guard to help keep things running smoothly (and safely) at prisons, regional jails, juvenile centers and work-release sites.

Progress has been made. According to Kell

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