Western Regional Jail Inmate Search

Located in the town of Barboursville, West Virginia, the Western Regional Jail and Correctional facility is one of ten regional jails in the state. Operation of the state-of-the-art, podular design facility began on December 13, 2003. It is one of the largest jails in the state, serving the counties of Cabell, Lincoln, Mason, Putnam, and Wayne. It is overseen by the West Virginia Regional Jail & Correctional Facility Authority, which was established in 1985.

Although Western Regional was built to be a medium to high security facility, it is currently classified as low security, and includes both male and female inmates. Offenders housed here are assigned a space according to their custody level, gender, assessed risk, and conduct into one of the modules. Modules contain four dormitories, each including a sleeping area, bathroom, and day room. The facility also contains a cafeteria, non contact visitation rooms, outdoor recreation areas, a medical exam room, a dental exam room, education rooms, and a library.

Western Regional Jail and Correctional facility provides inmates with space and materials for their spiritual, entertainment, dietary, and fitness needs. It also offers many self-improvement opportunities through vocational and educational training. West Virginia creates these trainings to help reduce recidivism rates by giving inmates the skills to get back on their feet upon release.

West Regional Jail, along with the state’s entire regional jail system, was built in response to an investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice. According to federal standards, only one of the state’s county jails passed. Additionally, in 1946, West Virginia’s Bureau of Prisons conducted a study that found the state’s jails to be “anachronisms and totally unfit for human habitation.” Most of these county jails were built around the turn of the century and their advanced state of deterioration meant that entirely new buildings would have to be constructed. Not only were the buildings themselves falling apart, but they were overcrowded as well.

But with the construction of the first of ten regional jails in 1989, both overcrowding and decaying buildings were relieved. West Virginia ensures federal standards continue to be met today. Under the supervision of the Bureau for Public Health, Western Regional Jail is inspected annually by the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources’ Office of Environmental Health Services.