New Parkersburg correctional center opens - Beckley, Bluefield & Lewisburg News, Weather, Sports

New Parkersburg correctional center opens

PARKERSBURG, W.Va. (AP) -

The state Division of Corrections has opened a new facility in Parkersburg.

WTAP-TV (http://bit.ly/Q6JlT0) reports a dedication ceremony was held Monday for the Parkersburg Correctional Center. The facility is located at a former Holiday Inn.

The conversion of the hotel, which closed in 2007, was the latest attempt to ease West Virginia's decades-long problem of overcrowded prisons and regional jails. The state bought the property and 22 surrounding acres for $2.2 million in 2010.

The facility will house 130 male minimum-security inmates and a parole office. The majority of the inmates will be eligible to work in the community, while others will be in a residential substance abuse treatment unit.

 

Information from: WTAP-TV, http://www.wtap.com

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