‘Mess’ slows jail transfers

Carbon County is working to move the 21 inmates sentenced to state prison terms out of the county prison in the very near future, officials said.

During the county prison board meeting on Wednesday, Sheriff Anthony Harvilla, prison board president, said that he spoke with acting clerk of courts Julie Harris regarding the state-sentenced inmates’ paperwork.

“Arrangements are being made with the contractors from Lehigh County to do that paperwork,” he said. The office is hoping to have a better update within a week on the status of those inmates.

“Are we talking all 21 are being held up because of paperwork?” county controller Robert Crampsie asked.

Harvilla responded, “Yes.”

The prison has been affected by the condition of the clerk of courts office, which is working to remedy the extreme backlog it has.

Earlier this month, the county commissioners approved an agreement with Lehigh County for two staff members to help the office catch up on the backlog.

Deputy Warden Ryan Long said that the prison’s current census is 237 with an in-house head count of 205.

“If that 10 percent would go, our population would probably be at an all-time low for the last few years,” he said.