West Virginia originated as part of Virginia, one of the thirteen colonies, and seceded from Virginia in 1863 in order to break away from the Confederacy and rejoin the Union. From its conflicted beginning, crime, police, and punishment have had important roles to play in the development of the state.

Police and Punishment

At the time of West Virginia's secession, county sheriffs and town police departments were the extant forms of law enforcement. The West Virginia State Police was founded in 1919 in response to the mine wars and was ...

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