West Virginia Schools of Diversion & Transition (WVSDT), a school system within the West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE), provides educational services to more than 6,000 juveniles and adults in residential and other state-operated facilities annually.
As a partner with the West Virginia Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DCR), WVSDT provides coursework for juveniles in detention and treatment facilities and to adults in prisons and regional jails. These services range from basic education to assist those seeking to obtain their high school equivalency, to career and technical programs such as cosmetology, carpentry, welding, culinary arts, and many more. Last year, the WVSDT developed a partnership with the U.S. Department of Labor to provide recognized apprenticeship certifications to adult students who complete the rigorous coursework.
WVSDT staff are committed to providing those who are justice-involved with the necessary tools to overcome the more than 850 collateral consequences associated with a prison or jail term in West Virginia. To support this important focus, the WVSDT has started the Reentry Liaison Program in some of the adult facilities this year. This program provides current adult WVSDT students, between 90 to 120 days from being released, access to a liaison to assist with the removal of as many transition barriers as possible prior to the release. By starting this process early, it is hoped to see an increase in the likelihood of students achieving success when they return to their communities.
Reentry Liaisons will work directly with students and act as a go-between in partnership with the corrections system and outside transition partners such as Jobs & Hope WV, The REACH Initiative, Marshall CORE, etc. By providing vocational counseling and guidance, rehabilitation services such as emotional intelligence training, and securing potential virtual interviews for employment, the Reentry Liaison will work to provide a foundation to reduce recidivism in the Mountain State.
Reentry Liaisons (top to bottom): Amanda Keenan, Kriston Grieme, Kaitlyn Wood, and James Oates.