West Virginia Code of State Rules › Agency 95 - Jails And Prisons Standards Commission › Title 95 - LEGISLATIVE RULE JAIL AND CORRECTIONAL FACILITY STANDARDS COMMISSION › Series 95-02 - Minimum Standards For Construction, Operation And Maintenance Of Correctional Facilities › Section 95-2-21 - Academic and Vocational Education

Current through Register Vol. XLI, No. 28, July 12, 2024
21.1.
						Comprehensive Program. There shall be a comprehensive education program
						available to all eligible inmates that extends from literacy training through
						high school and includes communication skills, mathematics, and social science.
						The educational program shall be structured so that inmates can enter at any
						time and proceed at their own pace. Progress through the program shall not be
						defined by grade level attainment. Individual instruction shall be supplemented
						by the use of programmed instruction, teaching machines, educational television
						and correspondence courses when appropriate.
21.2. Standardized Curriculum. There shall be
						a standardized competency-based curriculum supported by appropriate materials
						and classroom resources. A standard curriculum shall be developed in order to
						monitor student progress from class to class or between correctional
						facilities.
21.3. Program
						Availability. Educational programs shall not compete with work assignments,
						visitation, counseling, etc., but shall be offered at off peak program hours
						and shall be available in the evenings and on weekends.
21.4. Specialized Equipment. The educational
						program shall be supported by specialized equipment, including, at a minimum,
						classrooms, teaching carrels, audiovisual materials and facilities,
						chalkboards, and administrative space.
21.5. Post-secondary Programs. Post-secondary
						programs in academic and vocational education shall be available to qualified
						inmates. An adequate number of college courses shall be available at no cost to
						all appropriate inmates. Appropriate classroom space shall be provided for all
						such courses.
21.6. Social Skills.
						The correctional facility shall provide courses in consumer activities, life
						skills, and family life, and where possible, should incorporate instruction of
						social skills in regular course content. The courses shall be coordinated with
						social services, leisure time activities and religious programs, and in a
						comprehensive social skills development program.
21.7. Vocational Training. Vocational
						training programs shall be integrated with academic programs and shall be
						relevant to the vocational needs of inmates and to employment opportunities in
						the community. A variety of training programs shall be available including
						cooperation with correctional industries, work assignments, apprenticeships,
						on-the-job training, and other vocational related programs. Equipment and
						curricula for the vocational training programs shall be updated periodically to
						ensure compatibility with training developments in the community.
21.8. Educational Records. Academic and
						vocational information shall become a part of the master file and shall be
						transferred when inmates are moved to other correctional facilities or
						relocated in the community during pre-release.
21.9. Staffing. An adequate job placement
						staff whose full-time responsibility is the classification, placement,
						development of placement, and individual programming for inmates shall be
						maintained. This staff shall assess individual needs as well as facilitate the
						development of apprenticeships, community work release, and vocational and
						educational placement. The correctional facility shall maintain an adequate
						staff of counselors with training in educational guidance counseling. There
						shall be a ratio of one counselor for every sixty inmates. Counselors shall
						work with each inmate individually to develop a rehabilitative program for that
						inmate. This program and the inmate's progress shall be reviewed at regular
						intervals.
21.10. Work Release.
						Sufficient work release centers shall be maintained for eligible inmates.
						Inmates are eligible for work release selection after six months of
						incarceration and/or within two years of possible release.