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Tomblin Touts Prison Reform Efforts
By: Associated Press
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West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin is touting the state's prison reform efforts.
Tomblin spoke about the Justice Reinvestment Act at the Council of State Governments Justice Center event in Washington, D.C., on Thursday.
The law focuses on community-based supervision, risk assessments, investment in drug courts and other community-based treatment options for substance abuse.
Tomblin said West Virginia's prison population grew 20 percent between 2007 and 2012.
But he said the prison population dropped 5 percent since he signed the act in 2013. As of last week, West Virginia was 885 inmates over capacity.
The event also included Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett, members of Congress and the National Reentry Resource Center.