Lakin Correctional Center and Jail

Lakin Correctional Center (LCC) is a women's prison in the community of Lakin in unincorporated Mason County, West Virginia.[1]

It is on a portion of former Lakin State Hospital property,[2] on West Virginia Route 62, in proximity to West Columbia, 6 miles (9.7 km) north of Point Pleasant,[3] and 3 miles (4.8 km) north of the Army National Guard armory.[4] A part of the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation, it is the sole prison in that system that has only female prisoners.[3] It has a capacity of 462 prisoners.[2]

History

The prison's construction began in 1999, with some former Lakin Hospital buildings demolished to make way for the prison. Until the prison opened on January 29, 2003, there was no single women's prison in West Virginia and women were scattered across various facilities. A factory building and two minimum security housing facilities were built in 2005 and 2006.[2]

In a period prior to 2015 the WVDOC considered converting Lakin into a men's prison and moving women to another prison in Sugar Grove. These plans were canceled since residents of Mason County and elected officials of that county and at the state level opposed this plan. On September 4, 2015, Governor of West Virginia Earl Ray Tomblin stated that a section of the property of the nearby armory could be used as a satellite for Lakin; area residents opposed this move.[4]

Facilities

The facility can house 462 prisoners including two minimum security facilities with a combined capacity of 160 prisoners.[2]

Programs

The West Virginia Department of Education operates vocational and educational programs.[2][5]

Notable inmates

See also

References

  1. ^ "2020 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Mason County, WV" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. p. 1 (PDF p. 2/21). Retrieved 2022-08-14. Lakin Corr Facility
  2. ^ a b c d e "Lakin Correctional Center". West Virginia Encyclopedia. West Virginia Humanities Council. Retrieved 2018-11-17.
  3. ^ a b "Lakin Correctional Center and Jail." West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Retrieved on November 17, 2018. "11264 Ohio River Road, West Columbia, WV 25287 (Mason County)"
  4. ^ a b Steelhammer, Rick (2015-09-16). "Mason residents pleased with Lakin decision, unhappy about prison expansion plan". West Virginia Gazette Mail. Retrieved 2018-11-17.
  5. ^ "Lakin Correctional Center." West Virginia Department of Education. Retrieved on November 17, 2018.
  6. ^ Lang, Alex (2017-07-06). "Judgment is served in Skylar's case: 'It was just draining'". The Dominion Post. Retrieved 2018-11-17.

38°57′05.7″N 82°05′04.6″W / 38.951583°N 82.084611°W / 38.951583; -82.084611


Stub icon

This West Virginia-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.