New van and vehicle for Schuylkill prison

It’s not the cost of housing prisoners at other county prisoners that’s breaking the budget, it’s the cost of getting them there.

During a meeting Wednesday, the Schuylkill County Commissioners took steps to consolidate the transportation of prisoners by approving purchase of a passenger van.

On behalf of the prison, the commissioners OK’d spending $39,504 for a 2019 Ford Transit-150 XL low roof passenger van from Kovatch Ford, Nesquehoning. They also approved the purchase of a 2020 Ford Utility Police Interceptor for $37,872, also from Kovatch.

Schuylkill Administrator Gary Bender said past practice wasn’t working for transportation vehicles for the prison

“The new van is for prisoner transport and the other vehicle is for the prison to use,” Bender said. “Historically, the prison received old vehicles from either Adult Probation or the Sheriff’s department; the maintenance costs were exceedingly high and the vehicles unreliable.”

The average number of prisoners outsourced to other county facilities ranges from 60 to 80 per month, with an average daily cost at $65-70 per day.

In 2018, the cost for outsourcing of inmates was $1.5 million, which was $100,000 over budget. Prisoners are housed in Berks, Centre, Columbia and Lackawanna counties.

The commissioners also approved the purchase of a livescan/CPIN all-in-one system for fingerprinting, to be installed at the prison.

Schuylkill County’s prison is located across the street from the courthouse, and inmates are routinely moved back and forth from the prison to the courthouse.

“The fingerprint machine for the prison addresses a security concern we had moving prisoners across the street,” Bender said. “The sheriff will continue to do the fingerprinting both at the courthouse and at the prison.”