Report: Federal officials investigating West Virginia jail
BEAVER, W.Va. (AP) — Federal officials are investigating complaints about conditions at a West Virginia jail, according to a published report.
The Register-Herald reports the West Virginia Department of Homeland Security denied its request to tour the Southern Regional Jail in Raleigh County citing a federal probe of the facility.
"The federal government is in the process of investigating the facility, and the integrity of that investigation is of the utmost importance to the WV Department of Homeland Security," said Morgan Switzer, deputy general counsel for the state agency said in an email to the newspaper.
The jail in Beaver has been the "subject of many questions and concerns" since March, Switzer said.
The state agency hasn't answered questions about which federal agency is investigating and when the investigation began, the newspaper reported.
A federal civil rights lawsuit was filed against the jail last month on behalf of current and former inmates who have described conditions at the facility as inhumane. The complaint references a lack of access to water and food, as well as overcrowded conditions and fights that were allowed to continue until someone was injured.
A state investigation of conditions at the jail earlier this year found no evidence of inhumane treatment. Republican Gov. Jim Justice ordered the investigation in March after WVVA reported allegations of water deprivation, failure to provide toilet paper, and inmates having to sleep on hard floors without a mattress.
Switzer said there have been multiple reviews since March and some are continuing.
"Our Department is committed to holding bad actors accountable, and will continue to cooperate with the federal government to uphold and improve the safety and security of our facilities," she said.