Prison overcrowding discussed by commissioners
As the Fayette County Prison population continues to soar, members of the prison board Wednesday discussed the possibility that results of a study to help ease overcrowding could provide some solutions. Commissioner Vincent A. Vicites said a study conducted about six weeks ago will give the county’s criminal justice employees recommendations on how to curb overcrowding. He said the suggestions will likely be common sense things that can save money.
Vicites explained following the meeting that Fayette County was chosen as one of 12 out of 67 counties in the state to conduct an in-depth review of their criminal justice system. As a part of the review, two individuals, Jim Cudue and Dr. Robert Harland, came in for three days and talked to everybody in county criminal justice system and also met with the commissioners, Vicites said.
The consultants were brought in through the Prison Overcrowding Task Force, of which Vicites is a member through the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania.
Vicites said one suggestion given by the consultants is implementation of a “good time” policy that will allow inmates to earn time off their sentences for good behavior.
Vicites said Harland reported that if the recommendations are implemented, the county could save at least $350,000 next year, the amount that the county budgeted this year to spend on housing inmates out of the county. “There aren’t a lot of new programs, just common sense things that can be done to get a handle on the prison population explosion,” Vicites said.
During the prison board meeting, Warden Larry Medlock reported that the inmate population on Wednesday was 281, including 244 males and 25 females at the jail and annex, and 12 inmates who were being housed outside of the county, at a cost of $45 each per day. Medlock said 17 inmates were released on Tuesday, but there were also 12 new commitments.
Medlock said the population is up 17 percent for the first eight months of 2005 compared with the first eight months of 2004. The only good news was a 1.5 percent decrease from last month, but Medlock said that was countered with an 11 percent increase in the population for August 2005 compared with August 2004.
Sheriff Gary Brownfield said the population is up a little this week because of criminal court week. Despite Brownfield’s prediction that the population will drop after the summer months before spiking at Christmas, Medlock said he doesn’t think that will happen this year. “It hasn’t dropped at all this year,” Medlock said.
So far this year, the county has spent $168,736 on out-of-county jail cell rental, Medlock said.
Brownfield extended an invitation to all three county commissioners to attend the next Criminal Justice Advisory Board meeting. He said that during this meeting, which representatives from 31 counties attend, a lot of problems are discussed. Commission Chairwoman Angela M. Zimmerlink said as soon as she receives information about the meetings, she can join in. Commissioner Joseph A. Hardy III also expressed an interest in participating.
Brownfield suggested that if procedures can be worked out to only take inmates into the courtroom one time instead of three or four, it could save money. He said the judges have to go along with those types of recommendations.
District Attorney Nancy D. Vernon said she has been trying to do things to help curb the population surge for a couple years and everybody is just “catching on now.”
In other items, Medlock announced that two part-time corrections officers, William Ritz and David Shaporka, have resigned. He said he anticipates conducting interviews for their replacements soon.
Additionally, the board met in executive session for 10 minutes to discuss a personnel matter.