The Rural Justice Collaborative (RJC) Advisory Council has selected the Public Defender Corporation Recovery Coach Project, conceived and created by West Virginia Public Defender Services, as one of nine Rural Innovation Sites. These are the country’s most innovative rural justice programs which will serve as models for other communities. The RJC initiative will provide resources […] Continue reading
The West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals issued an administrative order declaring a judicial emergency related to activities of the courts in all 55 counties. According to a March 22, 2020 press release and attached administrative order, as of March 23, 2020 until April 10, 2020, only emergency proceedings required to protect the immediate health […] Continue reading
With the nationwide introduction of COVID-19 (also known as the novel coronavirus), we are taking precautions related to handwashing, use of hand sanitizer, and social distancing. These precautions are not available to the inmates in our jails and prisons, individuals who are at risk to the spread of disease by virtue of their environment, health […] Continue reading
In July 2019, seven peer recovery coaches with lived experience in recovery from substance use and past contact with the criminal justice system began work for public defender corporations in 22 counties, serving 14 judicial circuits. The purpose of embedding recovery coaches into public defender corporations was simple: intervene into criminal defendant substance use issues […] Continue reading
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
In this matter, the child, T.S., and his half-sister, V.A., petitioner’s stepdaughter, were removed from the home of Petitioner, father of T.S., and their biological mother, J.S., due to allegations of domestic violence. Specifically, the children had witnessed Petitioner and their mother engage in domestic violence and had been traumatized. Each parent was given a […] 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