| While the cost of housing prisoners in the state's regional jails is causing major budget problems for counties, plans are underway to start a regional effort to offer alternative sentencing for non-violent offenders.
A public meeting is scheduled today at 6 p.m. at the Calhoun Courthouse to explore a Central Alternative Sentencing Solution (CASS).
Project Director Shari Johnson has extended a regional invitation to officials from Calhoun, Clay, Gilmer, Ritchie, Roane and Wirt counties.
Johnson says all interested parties are welcome to attend the meeting, which will explain the goals of the CASS proposal and how the system operates.
Johnson can be reached at 304-354-7231.
Housing prisoners is a growth industry in West Virginia, although crime statistics indicate the state has one of the lowest criminal rates in the nation.
Johnson says the plan will help counties save money on regional jail bills.
A regional effort would be eligible for funding from the state Division of Criminal Justice, she said.
Counties would also be asked to contribute at least $15,000 annually to the program.
Offenders sentenced through CASS would be placed on home confinement and pay a $60 monthly fee for mandatory participation of three months to a year.
During that time, offenders would receive professional services including employment and substance abuse counseling.
Johnson said a similar program in Mercer County is already in place.
Meanwhile, at least two state groups are opposed to the state's plan to build another new prison.
A report from the West Virginia Council of Churches and the Appalachian Institute at Wheeling Jesuit University was released Monday, titled "Momentum for Positive Change: 'No' to New Prisons, 'Yes' to Continuing Reform of West Virginia's Reform System."
The Reverend Dennis Sparks says everyone who commits a crime should not be thrown behind bars.
"We're teaching people how to be criminals in our prison system instead of helping them become part of our society," he said.
Sparks says other options, for some people charged with less violent crimes, are working, citing day reporting centers.
At issue is the $48.50 daily fee the jail authority charges counties for each inmate housed in the state's regional jails. | 
