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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPRISON BOARD MINUTES August 2023 FRANKLIN COUNTY PRISON BOARD MINUTES Franklin County Jail August 8, 2023 Present: John Flannery, Commissioner Christopher Schell, Warden Matt Fogal, District Attorney Dane Anthony, Sheriff Harold Wissinger, Controller Mark Singer, Court Administration John Thierwechter, Assistant County Administrator Doug Wilburne, Probation Chief Geoffrey Willett, Probation Deputy Chief Ellen Eckert, Pre-Release Director Heather Franzoni, FCJ Deputy Warden Michelle Weller, FCJ Deputy Warden I. The meeting was called to order by Commissioner Flannery at 8:30 AM. II. Public Comment A. There was no public comment III. Minutes for the July 2023 meeting were discussed. A. Controller Wissinger moved to accept the minutes, DA Fogal seconded the motion and the minutes were unanimously approved. IV. Warden’s Report A. There were 110 commitments (89 males, 21 females) and 124 discharges (97 males, 27 females) in July. A comparison between July 2022 and July 2023 showed that in July of 2022 there were 132 commitments and 143 discharges. B. The average daily population was 269 with an average of 232 males and 37 females. C. There were 112 sentenced (98 males, 14 females) and 152 unsentenced (130 males, 22 females) inmates. D. The average length of stay (ALOS) for those discharged in July was 64.5 days and the median length of stay for July was 24.2 days. The yearly average length of stay was 69.7 days. E. PrimeCare’s medical report was presented. Seventy percent (71 out of 110) of new intakes were indicated to have a co-occurring disorder (mental illness and drug addiction). There were 101 inmates (38%) that were on mental health medication. There were 168 on the MH caseload and an additional 46 with SMI diagnoses. There were two inmates at Torrance and four awaiting transfer. F. Controller Wissinger asked how long it generally took for an inmate to be taken to Torrance. Warden Schell said that he is currently collecting data from PA county jails and the average is 6-8 months. Warden Schell added that another concern is the length of time between an inmate returning from Torrance before they go to court. G. DA Fogal moved to accept the Warden’s report, Controller Wissinger seconded the motion and the report was unanimously approved. V. Intermediate Punishment report A. The Pre-Release department received 30 intakes and 39 discharges. B. There were 16 inmates placed into employment. C. There were 1457 hours of community service completed. D. The Pre-Trial Release program had 52 offenders. E. The Drug and Alcohol RIP/DCIP program had 62 offenders. There were seven successful discharges. F. The Sex Offender Program had 44. G. There were 38 offenders on the Mental Health caseload. H. The Electronic Monitoring Program had 14 offenders. I. There were 13 offenders detained in Julyand there were 17 that were given alternative sanctions. J. There were 125 jail days saved by using the alternative sanctions of electronic monitoring (367 days), DCIP/D&A RIP (2213 days) and pre-trial release (1280 days). K. The Work Release program collected $17,107.80 and the Probation Department collected $225,391.87 in June. VI. Old Business A. Warden Schell provided a staffing update. There are currently 71 officer positions filled, three starting this week and interviews scheduled for the week after. B. Warden Schell gave a facilities update. Fire alarms are currently being updated. Facility cameras were temporarily shut down last week. VII. New Business A. The Board discussed policy language regarding medication assisted treatment and medical marijuana. Judge Meyers stated that Pennsylvania has been targeted by the Department of Justice to identify blanket bans on medication assisted therapy. Some jurisdictions had complete bans and offenders would have to detox involuntarily. The Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts is asking all jurisdictions to review their language to ensure blanket ban language is not used. VIII. The next meeting is scheduled for September 12, 2023 at 8:30AM at the Franklin County Administration Building. Controller Wissinger moved to end the meeting, DA Fogal seconded the motion and the meeting was adjourned.