Clergy & family of incarcerated West Virginians to address Corrections Commissioner

PRESS RELEASE:

This Tuesday, organizers will address the commissioner of the Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation in person.

Christian clergy and family members of incarcerated West Virginians will hand-deliver letters urging the commissioner to fix problems with the food served in state jails and prisons.

WHEN: 11 a.m., Tuesday, Sep. 9, 2025

Meeting of the Legislative Oversight Committee on Regional Jail & Correctional Facility Authority 

WHERE: The Senate Judiciary Room (208W) at the West Virginia State Capitol

WHAT: Advocates will deliver two signed petitions to David Kelly, urging him to fix problems with the food in West Virginia’s jails and prisons. One letter is signed by over 30 Christian clergy, and the other is signed by over 110 loved ones of incarcerated West Virginians. 

David Kelly is the Commissioner of the state’s Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and he is also a Senior Pastor in Wetzel County. He will be presenting at Tuesday’s meeting. 

WHY: Last weekend, DCR quietly decided to stop serving three meals daily on weekends. The Saturday and Sunday before Labor Day, incarcerated West Virginians only ate at 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. They waited up to 17 hours before receiving their next meals. 

Although this decision was walked back, there’s no guarantee DCR won’t try to serve fewer meals again. West Virginia jails and prisons are also notorious for serving small portions of food that are overprocessed, lacking in fresh nutrients and sometimes rotten or spoiled.

As the families of incarcerated West Virginians, we believe our loved ones deserve to be treated with respect. As clergy–and Commissioner Kelly’s colleagues–we believe that whatever we do to the least of those in our society, we do to Christ. By sharing our concerns with him, we hope he’ll make the changes we request in our letters: 

• Issue an immediate public guarantee that the decision to serve two meals a day will be permanently reversed.
• Make the vetting of food contracts public and competitive again.
• Have every jail and prison post a public daily photo of what is being served, including portion sizes.
• Eliminate commissary kickbacks once and for all. And make a plan to eliminate all for-profit vendors inside our jails and prisons.
• Start food oversight committees that include a wide range of stakeholders, including incarcerated people, families and nutritionists.
• End overcrowding in West Virginia jails.