Human Trafficking Laws in West Virginia

Human trafficking (or aiding it) is a felony: 3 to 15 years if the victim is an adult and 5 to 20 years if a minor. Using a person in forced labor or debt bondage carries the same ranges. Sexual servitude, using coercion to compel an adult into commercial sex, is a felony with a determinate term of at least 25 years; making a minor available for commercial sex is at least 50 years, and the minor's consent or a belief that the minor was an adult is no defense. Human smuggling is 2-10 years (adult) or 3-15 years (minor).

West Virginia's rule on court-appointed lawyers: An applicant completes the financial affidavit prescribed by Public Defender Services, which serves as the application for publicly funded representation. Eligibility is determined (by the trial court administrator's office, a designated public defender office employee, or a circuit judge) under financial eligibility guidelines set by the agency, considering factors such as income prospects, liquid assets, fixed debts, family members' age or infirmity, efforts to obtain private counsel, the cost of private counsel and bail arrangements. Representation may not be denied unless the person can obtain counsel without undue financial hardship. After an adverse judgment, the court may order repayment of appointed counsel's compensation and expenses only if the person can pay without undue hardship. W. Va. Code § 29-21-16

Lawyers set their own fees, and West Virginia has rules on how they may charge. See hiring a criminal defense lawyer in West Virginia for fee rules, how to check a lawyer's license and free help.

How release before trial works in West Virginia: A person charged with an offense not punishable by life imprisonment shall be admitted to bail by the court or magistrate; for an offense punishable by life imprisonment, bail is in the discretion of the court that will try the offense. A judicial officer shall release a person charged with a misdemeanor on his or her own recognizance except for good cause shown, but this presumption does not apply to misdemeanors involving violence or threats, a minor victim, a deadly weapon, controlled substances, sexual abuse, specified DUI-related offenses, or auto tampering, petit larceny or stolen property over $250. Otherwise the person is entitled to bail on the least restrictive conditions needed to assure appearance and public safety (such as supervision, home incarceration or electronic monitoring, no-contact orders, a cash bond or a bail bond with sureties). Factors include ability to pay, the nature and number of offenses, potential penalty, violence, prior record, character, health, residence, reputation, strength of the evidence, pending release status and past bail forfeitures. Cash bail for misdemeanors may not exceed three times the maximum fine. A person held on a misdemeanor because he or she cannot meet a secured bond must get a hearing within five days of the initial bail setting. The bail amount or a denial of bail may be challenged by summary petition to a higher court. W. Va. Code §§ 62-1C-1, 62-1C-1a What happens after an arrest.

Each state sets its own rules for sealing or expunging records. See West Virginia expungement and record sealing rules.