Warden: Prison numbers are down, re-entry programs working

A lower inmate population in Lycoming County since last April was attributed Friday at the monthly prison board meeting to re-entry programs working.

“They are working and are far less costly than incarceration,” said Brad Shoemaker, county prison warden.

Inmate population for April was 337 compared to 398 in April a year ago, he said.

Having 61 fewer male and female inmates in April than that month a year ago is indicative of programs working to reduce higher incarceration population and costs on taxpayers, he said.

The prison is down by 77 commitments in the first quarter of the year, Shoemaker said.

Additionally, there were 216 commitments compared to 228 commitments in 2017, he said.

In addition, Shoemaker has transitioned into the position of warden following the recent retirement of Kevin DeParlos.

DeParlos was credited by the commissioners earlier this month in continuing to set these programs into motion, especially since 2011, as the nation’s heroin epidemic took hold and the city and region experienced the glut in drug-related crimes, according to Shoemaker.

Getting the inmates who are qualified into re-entry and monitoring them at the center in Executive Plaza has paid dividends, Shoemaker said.

Officials from adult probation and the judiciary also weighed in on the positively-developing trend.

“We’ve expanded the bail release program at jail and are getting help from our judges and the officials in the courts,” said Ed McCoy, chief of the Adult Probation Department.

“Electronic monitoring can be the equivalent of jail,” said county President Judge Nancy L. Butts, a huge supporter of re-entry programs and drug court, mental health provisions and other means to assist those who are trying to re-enter society after serving sentences.

Shoemaker said many people don’t realize the cost of keeping an inmate includes intangibles such as medical bills, which include dental work.

“We don’t look at the inmate and say, ‘You got bad teeth. Too bad,’ “ he said.

Last month a spike occurred in the cost of dental care for the month, and it amounted to more than $11,000.

Efforts are made to try to get inmates off of drugs and alcohol, with 48 receiving alcohol monitoring services and 18 who are monitored using satellite technology.

The cost savings is $2.4 million for the 465 “clients” in this service, according to adult probation officials.

Another factor in helping to reduce overall cost on taxpayers, has been upgrades to Clinton County Correctional Facility, said Sheriff Mark Lusk. Because of these upgrades, when overcrowding is occurring, the facility can be used and it is much closer than Centre or Tioga counties’ facilities.

The typical transfer to the facility near McElhattan can take sheriff’s personnel an hour and a half, saving possible overtime costs and travel related expense, he said.

The neighboring county prison can take up to 15 to 20 inmates on a daily basis in the case of overcrowding. Four inmates recently were taken to Clinton County and brought back after two days.

That piqued County Commissioner Jack McKernan’s interest, who asked if all four inmates were taken to the same location, and he discovered from officials that they were.

Commissioner Rick Mirabito said the commissioners were expected to meet Friday with Clinton County officials and would be “pushing for that” closer transfer in the event of overcrowding. “It saves us hours and transportation costs and overtime salaries,” Mirabito said.

About 12 of the inmates last month were federal detainees, a big issue for some because of staff reductions in area Bureau of Prison facilities in Allenwood and Lewisburg, Shoemaker said.

Another cost saving measure is the county is renting space to the U.S. Marshals Service at the prison at a daily rate, Shoemaker said.