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6/22/2009 3:32 AM

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When we heard about Greene County's plan to negotiate with the state Department of Corrections to house state inmates in the county lockup, we thought, why not?

The county jail has been accepting prisoners from other counties for years and making a profit by doing so.

These prisoners come primarily from Butler and Fayette counties, where overcrowding is a problem.

Let's make it clear: These are county jail inmates, not prisoners incarcerated in state institutions where sentences range anywhere from two years to life.

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However, those sentenced to county jail time are more than just scofflaws and some may pose special security issues. So, let's not assume that because one is a county inmate, he, or she cannot be considered a security threat.

And that brings us to question what type of prisoner will be coming from say, SCI-Dallas, Graterford, Huntingdon, Camp Hill, Fayette or Cresson, to name just a few prisons operated by the Department of Corrections in Pennsylvania.

We understand the DOC sent out requests to counties across the state to consider accepting as many inmates as their country jails can accommodate. The reason given was that like some counties, the state system is experiencing overcrowding as well.

What we know so far is that Greene County Jail can take in as many as 40 inmates, and will be reimbursed $45 per day per inmate, or unless a new figure is negotiated.

That is good income for the county, but at a recent meeting of the county salary board, four correction officer positions were created in case there is a need to supplement the jail's staff.

Well, paying additional staff cuts into any profits.

And a few other questions pique our interest.

Will these prisoners be screened for medical conditions? In other words, whose responsibility will it be to pay for medication or treatment these inmates may require?

And, what if someone arrives with a serious health problem that might require a lengthy hospital stay, who pays for that? And what will be the average time a state prisoner will remain here?

We assume the prisoners coming to Greene County have minimum time left on their sentences, or they would not be allowed to serve time in a county jail. But we don't know that yet.

The bottom line is that the three county officials - Solicitor Farley Toothman, Warden Harry D. Gillispie and Chief Clerk Gene Lee - who have been given the responsibility of negotiating a contract with the DOC, recognize that the safety of jail personnel and safety of citizens of Greene County outweigh any profit margin the county may realize from this venture.

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