Inmate dies after he was found unresponsive at highly scrutinized West Virginia jail

BEAVER, W.Va. (AP) — Officials say an inmate at a West Virginia jail scrutinized in lawsuits citing inmate deaths and alleging poor living conditions has been pronounced dead. Authorities say correctional officers at Southern Regional Jail found a 24-year-old man unresponsive in his cell and attempted life-saving measures. He was then taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead on Friday. Authorities did not immediately provide further details or reveal the deceased inmate’s identity. An investigation is underway. Several former Southern Regional Jail correctional officers were indicted last month in connection with the 2022 fatal beating of an incarcerated man. West Virginia also has agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit filed by inmates who said the jail’s conditions were inhumane.