POTTSVILLE — As the Schuylkill County Prison board moves forward with building an intermediate punishment center, the state Department of Corrections is no longer requiring the county to submit biweekly reports.
County commissioners Chairman George F. Halcovage Jr., who also heads the prison board, said Wednesday he received a letter a few weeks ago from Shirley Moore Smeal, state DOC executive deputy secretary, that relinquished that obligation.
“We want to continue to do the right thing as the prison board and this process has even increased our communication with all the different parties involved that have an affect on the population: the jail, the courts, adult probation, district attorney’s office, public defender’s office and sheriff’s office,” Halcovage said. “I look forward that they continue to meet and make sure we don’t run into any problems because communication is key.”
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.
The latest letter from the state DOC, dated June 30 and signed by Smeal, states:
“Upon review of the county’s reports and performance, the department has determined that the county has been in substantial compliance with the agreement by maintaining an inmate census under the maximum capacity of 277 since May 25, 2016. Pursuant to the agreement, and because the department has found the county to be in substantial compliance with its obligations under the agreement, the county is released from continuing obligations under the agreement, including biweekly reporting. The county’s work to address its census issues and to abide by the reporting requirements during the term of the agreement is to be commended.”
The average inmate population for June was 251. It peaked for the month at 263.
An average of 46 inmates were housed at other facilities in June. The county paid $59,232.68 last month for temporary housing.
On Wednesday, there were 37 inmates at other facilities. Berks County Prison, Leesport, had 15; Centre County Prison, Bellefonte, 7; Columbia County Prison, Bloomsburg, one; and Snyder County Prison, Selinsgrove, 14. The county also has agreements with Lackawanna County Prison, Scranton, and George W. Hill Correctional Facility, Glen Mills.
On June 21, the county commissioners announced they were requesting a proposal from Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & Associates to provide an updated study that will concentrate on properly sizing the intermediate punishment center.
The engineering firm 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 “stand-alone, sentenced inmate facility.”
The commissioners have not yet approved an agreement for the study.
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