Centre County Commissioners say they’re concerned the county could outgrow its correctional facility sooner than desired unless recidivism programs expand.
Commissioners Steve Dershem, Chris Exarchos and Michael Pipe discussed the issue during a Centre County Chamber of Business and Industry luncheon Tuesday at the Penn Stater Conference Center.
Currently the cost of running the Centre County Correctional Facility takes up 18 percent of the county’s annual $63.8 million budget with roughy $80 spent per day per inmate. The prison has an average daily population of 261 with roughly 100 inmates from outside the county as part of a contract service with other counties and the state. The prison’s maximum capacity is 400.
Exarchos says officials see a growing issue with inmates suffering from mental health issues and substance abuse, which means a higher recidivism rate as such inmates are more likely to return to prison. Exarchos says county jails are becoming mental health institutions.
“We’d like to get them out of the door and keep them out of the door,” he says.
In terms of substance abuse, Dershem acknowledges the overall increase in heroin use in Pennsylvania, noting that Centre County is not immune to the problem.
“That demographic is not just limited to kids or college-aged individuals, it’s everyone. It’s frightening,” says Dershem. “It’s really something that our community has to get its head around. … We certainly are not immune to it.”
Pipe says if the county holds steady at 100 out-of-county inmates and grows by five inmates a year “we will grow out of facility by 2031.”
At the same time, Pipe says if the county invests in recidivism programs, potentially the county would not grow out of the facility until 2047.
Additionally, Pipe says if the state Corrections Department changes its policy requiring county facilities to hold technical parole violators it could lower inmate numbers in Centre County.
Pipe says county officials participate in regular meetings involving representatives from various stakeholders, including the Centre County District Attorney’s Office, Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, U.S. Veterans’ Affairs Office and State Parole Board.
Commissioners also gave the business community an overview of Centre County government and finances.
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