After another inmate death, House candidate calls on Justice to request special session

BECKLEY, W.Va. (WVVA) - On Monday evening, House of Delegates candidate Christian Martine spoke at Southern Regional Jail in Raleigh County following the death of Wyoming County inmate Alvis Shrewsbury.

Alvis Shrewsbury turned himself into the jail on August 29, on a second offense Driving Under the Influence charge, and was dead 19 days later. His family claimed he was beaten by other inmates according to their video conversations, where he displayed a black eye, and an account by a relative who they said was also an inmate at the time.

“Mr. Shrewsbury may have broken the law,” Martine said, “but he did not deserve to die.”

“Corrections and rehabilitation institutions that are supposed to rehabilitate people back into society aren’t staffed enough to keep officers or inmates safe,” Martine said, “Many of the inmates have yet to have their day in court.”

“I call on the Governor to call a special session of the legislature to evaluate funding and oversight for jails and other underfunded state services,” Martine said, “Jails are understaffed and risking the lives of officers and inmates, schools have over 1,000 teacher openings risking the future of our children, and our infrastructure is crumbling.”

“We have to do better,” Martine said, “Human morality demands we protect the most vulnerable people in our society: our children, the elderly, and – as former Vice President Hubert Humphrey once said – ‘those who are in the shadows of life.’”

See previous story here:

Wyoming County inmate dies after 19 days in Southern Regional Jail (wvva.com)