UNIONTOWN – Faced with an overburdened, aged prison building and monthly jail populations that exceed the number of beds, the Fayette County Board of Commissioners faced a major crisis in the criminal justice system. Monthly populations reports given by Warden Larry Medlock at the prison board meetings, told a bleak outlook; each month the county was spending more than $50,000 to house inmates in out-of-county prisons. Commissioner Sean Cavanagh then learned where neighboring Greene County was housing some of its inmates – in a 3,200-square feet PVC-covered tent. The commissioners took Cavanagh’s idea one step further and began construction of a prefabricated, steel building last fall. It is expected that 80 minimum security inmates will move into the facility shortly. In addition, the commissioners plans for a 30-bed annex to the current jail changed to a 110-bed, multi-story building that has been labeled the first phase of a new correctional facility. Both of these buildings will be used along with the current 182-bed facility. The cost for both is estimated at $5.3 million, 16 percent of which will be recouped through a one-time grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections. “We need to stay one step ahead of the problem,” said Commissioner Vincent Vicites. “That was not done in the 1990s.” Cavanagh said he would prefer putting the millions into economic development initiatives but the number of persons incarcerated exploded in the last decade. “You do what you have to do,” said Cavanagh of the prison construction. “But I’d rather put money into economic development which brings a return.” Medlock, at the January meeting of prison board, reported that the monthly average population in 2001 totaled 221, a 28.5 percent increase from 2000 when the monthly average was 172 inmates per year. The lowest monthly average population was January 2001 with 182 inmates and the highest monthly average was July 2001 with 244 inmates. During 2001, the jail processed 2,702 commitments into and 2,699 inmates processed out of the prison including two-day sentences. Medlock annual report indicated that driving under the influence of alcohol violations accounted for 13.9 percent and drug offenses accounted for 9.2 percent of the total inmates. Criminal homicide/aggravated assault accounted for 6.4 percent of the inmate population. Burglary accounted for 6.1 percent of inmate days while driving under (license) suspension accounted for 5.8 percent of inmate days. Of those incarcerated, 73.8 percent of the population were white males and 16.7 percent of the population were African-American males. The board of commissioners commissioned a prison needs assessment study by Carter Goble Associates Inc. which found that the economic situation has significantly impacted the incidents of criminal behavior including drug offenses. Thefts, burglaries and motor vehicle thefts are common in the county and are related to substance abuse. The study noted that high unemployment and low income contributed to the jail population including the fact that persons charged with a crime would prefer to serve several days in jail rather than paying a fine or posting a cash bond. The study also suggested that there is no stigma when a person serves time and, jail time could be considered a rite-of-passage for many young people. Vicites has acknowledged that prison overcrowding is not just a problem singular to Fayette County, but one that commissioners in the other 66 counties are experiencing. It is also a national problem, he has previously stated. Vicites was named to the Prison and Juvenile Detention Center Overcrowding task force for 2002, a committee of the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania. This task force has undertaken a statewide study on the overcrowding in the county corrections systems, both at the county level and in the juvenile detention facilities. Vicites said Fayette County, which had a needs assessment done last year, is much more advanced in its planning. Vicites said by serving on the task force, he can provide other members, including county commissioners, prison wardens and juvenile probation directors, with what Fayette County has done. “We need a common sense, phased-in approach. We will not build a big prison that will be filled up.” Vicites said that of the 12 county commissioners named to the task force, six counties built new prisons which have filled up. By phasing in a new correctional facility, the county can watch its levels of incarcerated persons, he said. The first phase of a new prison will be a 110-bed facility that includes 65 hard-bar style cells and 45 dormitory-style cells and a kitchen, infirmary and laundry to serve both this facility and the 80-bed minimum security facility currently under construction. The commissioners intend to keep using the current, 182-bed facility. The estimated cost for the first phase is $5.3 million and an estimated cost of $637,577 for the minimum security prison. The county has applied to the DOC for a one-time, 16 percent refund, amounting to $980,000. While Vicites and Cavanagh have been adamant about building the minimum security facility and the first phase with less beds, Commissioner Ronald Nehls believes the board needed to bite the bullet and construct a new jail, not relying on the current 19th century jail to house inmates. Nehls said the board may be saving $600,000 to $700,000 by building in phases and construction the prefabricated prison, he said, but the reality is that only 28 percent of the prison population can be served by dorm-style cells (minimum custody) and placed in the minimum security facility. Nehls said the study calculated that 55-60 people would be served by dormitory cells, persons that can be housed in the minimum security facility. Nehls contends that there are prisoners that cannot be put into a minimum custody environment but need housed in bunk cells. He said the board of commissioners can face this problem head-on by refinancing the bond issue with the low interest rates. Vicites said the 80-bed facility is being constructed in anticipation of future incarceration needs – to stay the construction of Phase 2 of the new prison, containing more than 400 beds and a price tag of more than $20 million. The Fayette County study done by Carter Goble suggested that the county needs to implement more alternatives to incarceration such as more intermediate punishment sentences, drug and alcohol rehabilitation or sentences to halfway houses. All these suggestions seem to be embraced by the three commissioners. Nehls, who first suggested the incarceration study to colleagues, said that alternatives to incarceration are needed; he reasons that people make mistakes and what is needed is to help people move forward and change their attitude. To this, Nehls was instrumental in establishing an after-school program in Laurel Highlands and Uniontown school districts to motivate and educate the youth. The program’s goal is to teach children to have a better attitude, become motivated, take responsibility and establish a set of values. Nehls is confident that the successes of the D.A.R.E. to Excel program will be seen in 10 to 15 years when the students leave the public school system and enter college or the work force. Cavanagh said that those who commit crimes should be punished but feels that not every criminal belongs in jail, like a DUI offender who may be better served by drug and alcohol treatment. Cavanagh said the commissioners can keep the prison level down by helping to attract jobs and by offering rehabilitative alternatives. One alternative that Vicites would like to see is an in-county treatment facility, a half-way house, rather than sending persons out-of-county. Others alternatives include community service programs and expanding intermediate punishment programs to higher levels. All three agree that prison expenses last year were a budget breaker. The board budgeted $187,500 to house prisoners in out-of-county cells; the county spent $350,000. The spike in prison inmates and the subsequent spike of housing inmates out-of-county made the first phase of a new prison a work in progress. Vicites noted the price spike from just under $2 million to $5.3 million but had to be adjusted as the population grew. Vicites said money is available in the bond He expects the board to approve final plans in the spring and go to bid on the project by the end of this summer. Vicites said the board will continue its two-prong approach to the prison problem: keep offenders out of prison through alternatives to incarceration and “follow through on their plan to develop a prison with enough space if needed.”

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