Public Records Search (2024)

Table of Contents

How to Perform West Virginia Inmate Lookup

WV’s Department of Corrections has two separate forms on their website, one for searching for inmates in jail and the other for prison. Using the offender ID or their name, you can locate someone quickly. The results will show an image, name, and location. There is also a link to see more details where you can view their gender, race, height, weight, location, sentencing, parole hearing date, and their estimated release date. You may also choose to use a West Virginia prison inmate search online to locate someone incarcerated in the state.

Creating Public Jail Records

West Virginia administrators fill out forms and document prison inmates every move, and these become jail records. These jail records follow the inmate through the entire system until they are finished with parole. Everything that happens while they are incarcerated is documented and kept updated within the file. Things like moving to a new facility, change of lawyer, court dates and new sentencing all get put into the permanent criminal record. These records are shared among law enforcement and updated frequently; some even daily. Jail records are the glue that keeps the whole system together and makes it easier to manage an entire prison population.

What are West Virginia Jail Records?

West Virginia jail inmate search records are the documents and forms filled out when something occurs that affects an inmate jailed in the state. There are dozens of reasons paperwork is filled out such as their initial intake paperwork, RAP sheet, visitor logs, medical screenings, substance abuse programs or anything else the inmate participates in gets documented and entered into the file. West Virginia inmate search records are kept on paper but also entered into a central database that law enforcement agencies share to keep information seamless. Some West Virginia inmate records search are also available to the general public.

Jail and Inmate Search in West Virginia

The West Virginia Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is in charge of the state prison and jail populations. They operate and maintain ten jails and 16 prisons. Currently, there are 6,900 inmates in WV prisons, 3,500 in county jails and 500 in youth detention centers around the state. The state’s incarceration rate is just about equal to the national average. About 49% of inmates are Black, 30% are Hispanic, 17% American Indian and the rest White. West Virginia also oversees 7,008 people on probation and another 3,123 inmates on parole.

Criminal Justice Quick Facts

West Virginia Parole Population

West Virginia parole population as of the beginning of 2016 counted 3,123 people, 244 paroles per 100.000 population. That’s by 427 people more compared to the previous year, which has increased by 13.7%.

West Virginia Prisons

The State Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has 6,900 inmates spread across their 16 prisons and 3,500 inmates in their ten jails. Their total budget for the year is $195 million. They spend $16,976 per inmate per year. The WV community corrections system oversees 7,008 people on probation and another 3,123 on parole. The Department of Corrections takes great pride in their well-trained staff and safe, secure facilities. Based on one hundred thousand residents, West Virginia has an overall incarceration rate of 386, a property crime rate of 2,020 and a violent crime rate of 338.

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