Inmate numbers are down at Schuylkill County Prison
New corrections officers have been hired, a drug and alcohol counseling program has launched and most importantly, inmate numbers are down.
“As of today, there are no inmates that are triple-celled,” Schuylkill County Prison Warden Eugene Berdanier said during the Prison Board meeting Wednesday. “The numbers today are 226 total inmates, 174 males and 52 females.”
That’s much lower than the averages for January and February, which were 266 and 273, respectively. Berdanier’s announcement elicited a cautious round of applause from prison board members.
The average number of female inmates was 52 in January and 57 in February. The largest reduction in inmate numbers is in the male population, which stands at 174 — about 40 fewer than were housed in January and February.
The average number of outsourced inmates was 81 last month; currently 86 are outsourced, with 65 housed in Centre County Prison.
The Prison Board also approved new hires, including a lieutenant, Richard C. Clink, who was a full-time officer for Minersville Police Department. The board hired four part-time corrections officers, Virginia Medina, Robert Haller, Curtis Westcoat and Francisco Rodriguez. That leaves the prison with one full-time and eight part-time openings.
The new drug and alcohol counseling program, facilitated by the Lehigh Valley Hospital-Schuylkill Counseling Center, began this week. The program is called Breaking the Cycle.
In other news from the prison:
The new inmate tablet program started at the end of February. Tablets were installed in all housing units, allowing inmates to access information such as the inmate handbook, types of reporting forms for services, the discipline and grievance processes and a law library.
Garland Communications was contracted to provide maintenance for one year for the surveillance cameras at the jail. The cost is $2,575 per month.
A new inmate footwear program started at the end of February. All inmates will be provided footwear without laces upon commitment. An inmate’s personal footwear will be returned upon release.
A new message was added to the inmate phone system: “If at any time during this phone call a resident inmate expresses a desire to attempt self-harm or attempt suicide, please alert the facility by calling 570-628-1450.” An inmate died at the prison in January; officials have not provided further information on the incident.
