Public Defender Services’ Criminal Law Research Center hosted a screening of the film Resilience on October 25, 2019, followed by a discussion of the science behind adverse childhood experiences and resilience for use in mitigation. Abuse, neglect, trauma, and dysfunction in childhood are measured in the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) study, one of the largest […] Continue reading →

A new study found the children of incarcerated parents and caregivers were at greater risk of psychiatric disorders and societal disenfranchisement. Based on a longitudinal study (the Great Smoky Mountains Study that ran from 1993 to 2000), researchers performed a Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Assessment that looked at parental incarceration, childhood psychiatric diagnoses, and other […] Continue reading →

The Public Defender Corporation for the 1st Judicial Circuit is seeking to hire a full-time, Certified Recovery Coach to serve clients in the 1st and 2nd Judicial Circuits. Qualified candidates will have dependable transportation, a valid driver’s license, current automobile insurance, certification as a recovery coach, and a willingness to input data related to the […] Continue reading →

Senate Bill 152 will enable certain non-violent felony offenders to have their record expunged after they have served their sentence. It went into effect June 7, 2019. The new law excludes sex offenses, crimes involving minors, crimes that involved weapons, and DUI offenses (as well as other case exclusions). The preliminary expungement can be sought 3 […] Continue reading →

West Virginia has the highest drug overdose rates in the country and is in the midst of a foster care crisis. Point in fact, West Virginia has the highest rates of very young children (babies and toddlers) entering the foster care system, at a rate of 20.8 in 1,000; the national average is 6.6 in […] Continue reading →

House Bill 2083 provides for a partnership between West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation (“DOCR”) and the Division of Motor Vehicles to issue an identification card for released inmates; it takes effect June 7, 2019. This law will ensure persons released from state corrections facilities have an official form of identification to seek employment, […] Continue reading →

House Bill 2459 passed and was signed by the Governor, with an effective date of May 21, 2019. This new law’s short title (“Exercising authority to exempt individuals domiciled within the state from certain restrictions contained in federal law”) does not accurately describe the scope of what the law does: it brings West Virginia in […] Continue reading →

Effective June 7, 2019, Senate Bill 40 was signed into law establishing a Military Service Members Court. The new law grants authority to the State Supreme Court of Appeals (under the oversight of its administrator) to establish the court program as stand-alone courts or courts tangentially operating in conjunction with existing drug or specialty court […] Continue reading →

Governor Justice signed into law Senate Bill 17 relating to probation eligibility. The significant change adds the option of a psychological study and diagnosis to those persons charged with a sex offense seeking eligibility for probation. The original language in the code stated: “such person shall only be eligible for probation after undergoing a physical, […] Continue reading →