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Prison Board discusses expansion of county jail by Jane Smith SAEGERTOWN � As its inmate population nears capacity, Crawford County Correctional Facility may have expansion on the horizon less than 10 years after it opened. The county jail, in operation since 1996, has a maximum capacity of 265. On Thursday, 253 inmates were incarcerated. The average number of inmates between Jan. 15 and Feb. 14 was 238; the highest number was 253 and the lowest, 231. With those statistics in mind, the Crawford County Prison Board at Thursday�s meeting briefly discussed the idea of starting to plan for a future expansion. County Treasurer Frederic Wagner asked state officials in attendance about the possibility of any state funds to help the county should it choose to expand the jail. Republican state Rep. John Evans and Gary Clark, representing Republican state Sen. Bob Robbins, were at the meeting to discuss a separate issue. Evans represents the Fifth District, which covers western Crawford County. Robbins represents the 50th District, which includes all of the county. Both said there would be a possibility of seeking funds in a capital budget in the future, but the governor would have to release any funds. In addition, Clark said any funds would have to have a county match. When the jail was built, the seven pods, kitchen, administration and other ancillary offices, as well as the electronic technology, cost $12 million. Wagner and Warden Tim Lewis agreed that, if the jail is expanded, the county would probably add another two pods. The original building was designed to allow such housing units to be added without a lot of extra design or infrastructure work. Lewis said while the capacity is 265, he can add another 20 cots in various portions of the jail to accommodate more inmates. Currently, the number of inmates scheduled for general population exceeds the number of beds. General population area refers to inmates housed in cells. Thus, Lewis said, he has transferred some of the less violent offenders into the work-release section of dormitory-style housing. Such inmates are released from jail to go to work daily, but must return to jail at the completion of their work shift. While some inmates convicted of non-violent crimes are housed there, they aren�t released from jail. County Commissioner Roger Williams said there are other alternatives that could be considered such as approving more inmates for electronic monitoring and possibly early release. Lewis said in the past Crawford County Court of Common Pleas President Judge Gordon R. Miller wasn�t receptive to early release. District Attorney Francis Schultz said he would have some concerns about early release as well. If more electronic monitoring was used, it would necessitate adding more monitors as all are in use at this time. Williams said he believes the addition of a population control manager has helped with that problem. Another suggestion was re-opening the jail annex. A former barn located next to the new jail was converted while the current facility was being built and used to house inmates on a temporary basis to avoid overcrowding at the old jail adjacent to the courthouse. That annex will accommodate 30 inmates in dormitory-style housing. Lewis said the annex could be used by adding four or five staff members. That would avoid having to send county inmates to other counties for housing at costs of $30 per day, plus transportation. Noting the length of time it takes for planning and construction, Wagner said the issue is something the prison board and commissioners should think about as the number of inmates continues to climb. Add a comment |
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