Deal to house state inmates could boost prison revenues

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July 26, 2009

By SANDRA K. REABUCK The Tribune-Democrat Sun Jul 26, 2009, 10:44 PM EDT

EBENSBURG — Starting this week, some state inmates will be moved into the Cambria County Prison under a new contract that is expected to bolster revenues to help offset the county prison’s operating costs.

With state prisons overcrowded, the state Department of Corrections has turned to county prisons to house some inmates to alleviate the problem.

Cambria’s three commissioners and Warden John Prebish – always looking for ways to increase revenues and cut costs – jumped at the chance of taking some of the inmates, described as medium-security prisoners who would be completing state sentences and getting ready for release.

Cambria will be paid $55 a day for each state inmate housed here, with the number to range between 25 and 100, depending on bed availability. That could potentially add up to $2 million a year – if 100 would be housed in the county prison for 365 days.

It’s not a new step for Cambria’s prison. It housed state inmates from 1999 to 2002 and out-of-county and federal prisoners and immigration detainees for years.

“It’s doubtful the prison could ever make (enough) money to cover all costs, but the warden and his staff do a hell of a job in looking for revenues and keeping costs down,” Commissioner Milan Gjurich said.

Neighboring Somerset County, which has a smaller jail, does not take other inmates, Randy Welker, the county’s finance director, said. Housing Somerset County’s own inmates fills the beds, he said.

Last week, the census at the Somerset Jail was at a 138, even through prison officials attempt to keep the population at about 80, Deputy Warden Adele Bauer said.

In contrast, Cambria’s prison

– which could house about 500 – had 469 inmates, including 344 from the county.

The additional 125 came from the following: 70, immigration; 33, U.S. Marshal’s Service; 16, Huntingdon County; and six, Blair County.

Revenues were at $2.6 million from 2000 through 2002 when state prisoners formerly were housed here. That income paid for about half of the operating costs, then about $4.5 million.

But then the revenues dropped.

They went under $900,000 in 2005 and 2006 when fewer immigration detainees were being kept here. However, the income shot up to $1.66 million in 2007 and $2.67 million in 2008, according to figures provided by Mike Gelles, the county’s chief clerk and finance director.

At the same time, the income was not covering as much as the operating expenses. Costs topped over $5 million in 2003 and jumped to $6.8 million by 2008.

This year’s budget projects operating costs at $7.28 million, and revenues may not reach the $2.6 million plateau they did in 2008, Gelles said.

While the bulk of the revenues comes from housing other prisoners, some money comes from the county prison’s transport service in which federal prisoners and detainees are taken to and from other facilities or courthouses and some Cambria prisoners are taken to hearings at district judges’ offices.

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