Associated Press
SALEM, W.Va. — State officials are holding a grand opening for a men’s prison in Salem that formerly was a juvenile facility.
The ceremony is set for 11:30 a.m. at the Salem Correctional Center.
The state began transferring inmates to the minimum- to medium-security prison in October. Division of Corrections Commissioner Jim Rubenstein tells The Exponent Telegram that he expects the 388-bed prison to be at full capacity within the next couple of weeks.
The former West Virginia Industrial Home for Youth was converted to a prison this year following a lawsuit over treatment of juvenile offenders at the facility.
Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin is scheduled to attend the grand opening. Spokeswoman Amy Shuler Goodwin says Tomblin will speak about positive changes within the Division of Corrections.