Joe Manchin says federal government stopping inmate transfers to West Virginia amid coronavirus

Sen. Joe Manchin said Friday that the federal government has halted out-of-state inmate transfers to West Virginia amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The West Virginia Democrat said U.S. Attorney General William Barr confirmed that the Mountain State will have no new inmates arriving from outside the state.

“Many of these inmates were being transferred from COVID-19 hot spots across the country, putting the safety of our brave correctional officers and their families, citizens, and inmates at risk,” Mr. Manchin said in a statement. “I am pleased that AG Barr has heard our concerns and will be making changes that will help FCC Hazelton and FCI Gilmer slow the spread of COVID-19 in their facilities. I will continue to work with [Bureau of Prisons] officials, correctional officer representatives, and AG Barr to ensure this issue is managed correctly so no more West Virginians are put at risk.”

Previously, Sens. Dick Durbin and Charles E. Grassley requested Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz review the Bureau of Prisons’ implementation of the First Step Act and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Mr. Durbin, Illinois Democrat, and Mr. Grassley, Iowa Republican, wrote last month that they were worried “BOP is significantly underestimating the rate of COVID-19 infection in BOP facilities because BOP has not yet conducted the number of tests on staff or inmates appropriate for facilities where a highly contagious virus can be easily spread.”

Mr. Manchin’s efforts to urge a blockade of inmate transfers to his state ramped up after Mr. Durbin and Mr. Grassley began sounding the alarm. Whether the federal government will adopt similar practices at prisons in other states remains to be seen.