Intern organizes the prison library, studies repeat offenders in county

July 05--DANVILLE -- An intern at the Montour County Jail will soon be studying repeat offending in the county.

Meaghan McDonald, who will be a senior this fall at Skidmore College, will be meeting with officials, including County Chief Probation Officer Jim Miller this week, Warden Bill Wilt III told the prison board at a meeting Monday at the jail.

Wilt said she's "doing a wonderful job."

McDonald said she's enjoying the summer work very much.

Wilt said she will be looking at what is working at the jail and she may be able to enhance what is already here.

He didn't have any figures on recidivism in the county.

Reached after the meeting, Miller said he didn't have statistics since they are difficult to compile depending upon what is being compared, whether it is someone back in the system within the last six months, back in the system the past year or two years, if it is someone who violated probation or parole or if it is someone who was in the system, got out and then got back into the system.

He expects to determine what definition McDonald will be working with when he meets with her.

As part of her college studies, she participated in a public workshop, which was part of a national project. She was among students studying a medium security prison that has since closed near her college. During the project that is part of a traveling exhibit, she interviewed correctional officers and prisoners.

She said she has already interviewed inmates at the Montour County jail.

McDonald, 21, a Danville area native and a Danville Area High School graduate, is a double major in history and American studies. She began duties as an intern June 7 and will be working part-time through the beginning of September.

Since she started work, Wilt said she improved the prison library.

McDonald received donations of books from friends, the community and she also donated books for the library.

"The library hadn't been updated in several decades," she said of some books that were falling apart.

The new books should be of interest to prisoners and she hopes will encourage them to read. They include a variety of fiction and nonfiction works.

She has also categorized the books by genre "so they are much easier to find."

So far, she has found inmates taking advantage of the modernized library.

Wilt also told the prison board the county maintenance staff will need to move an electrical panel for a generator before the garage at the jail can be demolished.

Danville borough and the Historical Architectural Review Board support tearing down the deteriorating structure.

Email comments to kblackledge@thedanvillenews.com. Follow Karen on Twitter @KLBlackledge.

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