West Virginia Division of Corrections

Mission Statement

As a West Virginia Division of Corrections facility, our primary purpose and goal shall be ensuring the safety of the public, staff, and offenders. We will strive to achieve this goal by creating an environment and atmosphere in which the public, staff, and offenders work together as a team to provide for periodic assessments of all the operations of our facility, the outcome of which will be used as a tool for training and the development and revision of programs and procedures. We will work as a team in a fair and consistent way so as to enable and encourage staff to work as professionals, lead to staff career advancement, free of discrimination while ensuring equal opportunity, and to allow and encourage staff to have the authority and responsibility to make decisions appropriately. We will make the education and tools necessary available to offenders so they can be accountable and responsible and have authority over their lives so that they will be better able to successfully reintegrate into the community.

Personnel

• Teresa McCourt - Warden
• Associate Warden Programs - Marvin Plumley
• Associate Warden Operations - Tammie Alderman

History

Anthony Correctional Center is located in Neola, West Virginia on Rt. 92 in Greenbrier County, 15 miles north of White Sulphur Springs. It was built in 1965 – 66 and maintained by the federal government as the Anthony Civilian Job Corps Center until 1968. In October 1970, the facility was leased by the West Virginia Department of Public Institutions (now Division of Corrections) from the federal government to operate a community involved, educationally oriented, correctional facility for male juvenile offenders.

In January 1980, Anthony Center was designated as a young adult male offender correctional center; no longer accepting juvenile commitments, but young males adjudicated under the Youthful Offenders Act.

In March 1985, Anthony Center was converted into a co-correctional facility in order to provide equal opportunities for both male and female adult offenders. This transition was necessitated by the WV Supreme Court ruling in the Flack vs. Sizer/McCoy case which stated that “WV Code § 25-4-1, et.seq. is to be applied in a gender-neutral fashion”.

At present, Anthony Correctional Center primarily houses male and female young adult offenders between the ages of 18-23. Offenders are committed  for a term of six months to two years. Once the offender has completed all program requirements, he/she is released to the committing court and receives probation for up to five years. However, if the offender is deemed by the court to be unfit or has repeatedly broken the rules of the institution, he/she can be returned to the committing court to receive the original sentence.

Due to overcrowding in regional and county jails, on 15 January 2001, Anthony Correctional Center began housing 24 males in the Diagnostic Unit. These males are committed to our facility for a maximum of 60 days. During that time period, the males participate in a series of psychological testing and interviews and a report is submitted to the sentencing judge. The report is used by the sentencing court to indicate how the inmate will respond to a supervised and structured setting (incarceration) or an unsupervised and unstructured setting (probation).

Also due to overcrowding, on 13 December 2004, Anthony Correctional Center began housing 24 adult female inmates.  These inmates were transferred from Lakin Correctional Center and have created a stable work force within the institution.