Hundreds of southern lawmakers are getting ready to head home after spending the last three days in Charleston.
The capitol city is the site of the Southern Legislative Conference's annual meeting. The meeting started Saturday and ends Tuesday night.
Legislators from 15 southern states heard from experts on many topics, like how to tackle state debt, and how to reduce prison costs and keep offenders from coming back.
North Carolina state Representative Chuck McGrady, a Democrat, says states need to find ways to get non-violent criminals out of the jails and back into society.
"We need to do a better job of separating non-violent, non-felony inmates from the more serious and violent types," McGrady said. "And we need to spend more money on turning those people into productive members of the community."
Lawmakers have also heard from notables, such as author Homer Hickam and actress Jennifer Garner. Both Hickam and Garner are West Virginia natives. Garner was the speaker, along with Mark Kennedy Shriver, at the conference's closing breakfast Tuesday morning.
Garner was promoting early childhood education for Save the Children, an organization she became involved with over three years ago. Garner said single parents need support and encouragement.
"If you're living alone and in poverty and you're young and afraid it's not a great environment to raise a kid in, but it can be if you are just given a little support," Garner said.
The event was an opportunity to show off the Mountain State and its many attractions. Lawmakers were taken on tours of notable landmarks, including the Greenbrier Resort.
McGrady says he has enjoyed his time in the state, as has his son.
"I think it's a great state," McGrady said. "My son loves your rivers and loves to get to West Virginia to ski and to paddle as often as he can."
(Photo/Lauren Crawley)
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