The Nation : Freeze at W. Va. Prisons

Gov. Arch A. Moore Jr. ordered corrections officials to refuse new inmates at West Virginia prisons, saying that poor prison conditions continue because of overcrowding. Prosecutors and judges assailed Moore’s action, saying that he had no right to tamper with the judicial system. The order will remain in effect until Moore and Corrections Commissioner A. V. Dodrill determine that conditions “are appropriate and warrant the acceptance of additional inmates,” Moore said in Charleston. Moore’s order did not say where inmates would go, but the governor’s press aide, Charlotte Roberts, said they would have to be held at county jails.