Schuylkill County Prison exceeds capacity in August

Republican & Herald - 9/21/2017

Sept. 21--POTTSVILLE -- The Schuylkill County Prison exceeded its approved capacity for most of August.

The average inmate population at the prison was 278 for the month, according to Warden Gene Berdanier's report Wednesday. The approved capacity for the facility is 277. It is the first time the facility has exceeded the 277 average since the state Department of Corrections issued a three-month ban on the prison accepting newly sentenced inmates in 2016.

The monthly census peaked at 302 in August. An average of 48 inmates were being housed at other facilities that month.

There were 271 inmates in the prison Wednesday with 37 being housed elsewhere, Berdanier said. There were nine at Berks County Prison, Leesport; four at Centre County Prison, Bellefonte; one at Columbia County Prison, Bloomsburg; eight at Lackawanna County Prison, Scranton; and 15 at Snyder County Prison, Selinsgrove.

It cost the county $53,087.04 for temporary housing in August.

The county also has an agreement to house inmates at George W. Hill Correctional Facility, Glen Mills.

"I know that it is the furthest away, but we have to be respectful of the limit in the jail and get people out accordingly," commissioners and prison board Chairman George F. Halcovage Jr. said.

Berdanier said the Lackawanna County Prison and Snyder County Prison are the only two facilities contracted with the county with space for women inmates. Meanwhile, he said the Berks County Prison also has less space available due to staffing.

"Everyone is limited," Berdanier said. "The more contracts we have available the better."

Halcovage said the recent population increase is due to there being more court cases. He said the state DOC has not contacted the county regarding repercussions for exceeding the approved capacity at the prison in August.

The county approved an agreement with the state DOC on July 28, 2015, to bring its inmate population below its approved capacity of 277. The prison was given until Nov. 24, 2015, or risk not being allowed to house additional prisoners.

The facility had 302 inmates that day and the state DOC on May 4, 2016, ordered that the facility was no longer allowed to take any additional prisoners sentenced between six months to five years until further notice.

Following a three-month ban on accepting new inmates, the county entered into another agreement with the state DOC that allowed the prison to open its cells to newly sentenced criminals on the condition that they continue to submit biweekly reports on the inmate census and ensure that it did not house more than 277 inmates through June 30, 2017.

In July, the county received a letter from the state Department of Corrections relinquishing the prison's obligation to submit biweekly population reports.

Meanwhile, the county has yet to come to an agreement with Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & Associates, Mechanicsburg, to update a study to determine sizing requirements for an intermediate punishment center. The board requested a proposal from the engineering firm in June.

Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & Associates performed a study in 2008 to address the growing prison population and outlined several options, which included the construction of an intermediate punishment facility they referred to as a "standalone sentenced inmate facility."

In related matters, seven inmates were identified as candidates for the Vivitrol pilot program at the prison.

The state DOC awarded the county a $108,512 grant to start a program aimed at reducing relapse, recidivism and overdoses through counseling and providing Vivitrol, an injectable medication that reduces drug and alcohol cravings for about 30 days. Three inmates were given the injection in August, Frank Komykoski, vice president of operations for PrimeCare, said.

Courtney Fasnacht, executive director of the Northeast Pennsylvania Manufacturers and Employers Council, also provided the prison board with an overview of the recent pilot workshop program that was started in June at the prison. Based on the curriculum for the Your Employability Skills program the organization has been offering high school students since 2006, inmates were invited to attend two-hour workshops covering more than a dozen topics, such as communication, interview skills, financial literacy and generational diversity. Individual coaching opportunities and counseling sessions were also available to participants.

"We feel the feedback has been very positive," Fasnacht said. "We have had great participation and overall it was a really positive experience."

The pilot program will be wrapping up next week, she said. There were 27 participants in the program.

"I received nothing but positive feedback," Berdanier said. "It's obviously another piece of the puzzle we need to continue and enhance and hopefully branch out to the female population."

Contact the writer: mgilgerjr@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6023

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