CHARLESTON, W.Va. — One state leader will now be heading up West Virginia’s troubled jails and corrections system, and says he plans to keep making the necessary improvements toward fixing it.
Governor Patrick Morrisey recently appointed current House of Delegates member and pastor from Tyler County, David Kelly as the new commissioner for the state’s Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
David Kelly
Kelly said that during his 7 years in the legislature, and his 20-year background in law enforcement prior, he has always been passionate about improving the state’s weakened jails and corrections system, and to get the opportunity to serve as leader in this area is an honor.
“When the governor called me and asked me to serve, you know, it was a Saturday afternoon conversation with the governor of the state, I was honored,” Kelly recently said on MetroNews Talkline. “It’s hard to say no when somebody calls and asks you to serve in that capacity, and I am extremely honored to be able to step up to the plate.”
Kelly said that during his time in the legislature, he has gotten to know of several of the issues DCR is facing, and he championed a few efforts of improving the system, including the effort of increasing pay for correctional officers during a staffing crisis that had prompted a state emergency back in 2022.
He said he had spoke on how the current system was unsustainable and that the state couldn’t continue to fund the National Guard in assisting with the correctional shortages, that something longer term needed to be done.
“We sat down and came together with all of the stakeholders and we were able to come up with a pay raise, it was a good pay raise and we were able to turn it around,” he said.
Kelly said he credits former DCR commissioner Billy Marshall for heading up that effort, but there’s a lot of work that still needs to be done.
He said he wants to look at the obvious issues of overcrowding in the state’s jails and prisons, as well as expanding programs that would lead to more effective, long-term rehabilitation for inmates.
Kelly said that he believes the notion of simply “doing the crime” is not justification for inmates having to endure the often deplorable conditions they are currently seeing in jails and prisons due to overcrowding.
“I think we need to steer away from someone doing the crime, they do the time, but of course, there are consequences to the laws that we break, some people need to be in jail, but we want to look at other ways to enhance and get some of these folks out earlier,” Kelly said.
Kelly said, however, that there is a different kind of approach to law enforcement today due to the more extreme nature of criminals, and corrections have had to adjust and adapt accordingly.
“We have to adjust and take a look at things and adapt to the current climate, and find better ways,” he said. “I think the best thing we can do is begin to possibly think out of the box and try to take care of some of these measures.”
Kelly said he wants to first sit down with his team and get caught up on what they have been doing and where they are with any progress being made within corrections. He added that he also wants to sit down with Morrisey’s team and find out what some of their visions are for DCR as well.
Kelly’s resignation from the legislature goes into effect on June 15 and he officially steps into the role as DCR commissioner the following day on June 16.