Westmoreland County is planning to create a daily reporting center for offenders that could reduce the prison's inmate population and operating costs, according to Warden John Walton.
"We're in the early stages looking for grants for funding," Walton said. "Costs need to be determined."
Karen Dickman, the prison's population monitor, said some offenders are being housed in jail simply because they can't afford to post bond. Last month, 213 offenders remained in the county prison because they didn't have the money to post bail, she said.
"Most of the people who come before a judge, their biggest problem is poverty," Dickman said. "After an arrest, they wait weeks for a hearing and lose their jobs. Day reporting would still have intensive supervision, but they would be able to feed their families and keep their jobs.
"This will dramatically reduce the population," she said.
The U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that prisons and jails are operating at 95 percent of their capacity. Full jails mean higher staffing and operating costs. Expansion plans for some jails have been put off because of high construction costs.
The only day reporting center in Pennsylvania is in Franklin County.
In 2001, Franklin County's prison population had exceeded the limits of its 194-bed jail. The county commissioners considered expanding, but the estimated $30,000 to $50,000 cost per cell was too high. They opened a day reporting center in Chambersburg, which allowed them to build a smaller jail and save $10 million.
Offenders in Franklin County are given a specific date and time to report. After they are assessed, they can receive drug and alcohol treatment, a mental health assessment, and employment counseling and education classes.
In addition to close supervision, they are required to take a Breathalyzer test and submit to random urine testing.
"The goal is to make them highly accountable to law enforcement," Dickman said.
Dickman said Westmoreland officials will need to decide whether to place the reporting center in a central location or have regional offices where offenders can report.
Offenders charged with traffic violations or jailed because of bench warrants and other minor offenses are adding to the prison's population, Dickman said. In June, 970 inmates were processed through the prison. That's an increase of 40 inmates from May, she said.
The Westmoreland County Sheriff's Office has become more aggressive in arresting offenders on bench warrants. Dickman said there also has been an increase in arrests for probation and parole violations that usually are the result of new criminal charges.
As of Monday, the total inmate population was 578, according to Walton. The average daily inmate population peaked in 2006 at 641. Last year, the average rate was 573, according to a county statistical report.
Walton said the average length of stay per inmate from January through June was 36.4 days, down from an average of 41.7 days in 2007.
Westmoreland County has implemented a number of diversion programs over the years that allow nonviolent offenders who are charged with misdemeanors or low-level felonies to avoid being jailed until trial.
The Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program allows a person to avoid jail and a criminal record by completing a period of good behavior that allows them to have their record expunged.
An intermediate punishment program places offenders on electronic monitoring. It also operates an intensive supervision program.
