Rockingham commissioners hear Hillsborough superintendent on housing women inmates, but take no vote

Hillsborough County Superintendent Jason Costanza urged the Rockingham County Board of Commissioners on Aug. 14 to consider resuming placement of female inmates at the Hillsborough facility, describing staffing, medical and program changes his administration has implemented but leaving a formal decision for a later date. Costanza told the commissioners his jail now has an expanded medical and mental health contract with PrimeCare and treatment and transition services for people on medication-assisted treatment.

Costanza said Hillsborough currently houses about 315 people and that roughly 113 of them are on medication-assisted treatment. He described a lineup of on-site services — a physician five days per week, additional mental-health staff, case managers and a sentenced substance-misuse program called ACT (Accept, Commitment, Treatment) that coordinates with local community partners. “We have three hot meals a day,” Costanza said when describing day-to-day operations.

The request matters to Rockingham residents because returning female inmates to a closer jail would reduce family travel for visits and shift custody costs and medical oversight decisions to the Hillsborough team, Costanza and the commissioners said. Commissioners pressed him on infrastructure and oversight: they noted the Hillsborough building is older, asked about plumbing and electrical repairs, and sought information on staffing and PREA audit status.

Costanza said the jail is undertaking a needs-assessment and planning process to decide whether to rehabilitate the existing building or build a new one. He said infrastructure work has addressed plumbing and security issues and that the facility is preparing for a PREA (Prison Rape Elimination Act) audit next week; he offered to share pre-audit findings once the auditor’s report is final. On staffing, Costanza said the jail is funded for 76 officer positions and currently has 15 active vacancies, with additional funded positions coming online later in the year; he said recent starting-wage increases (the starting rate cited during the discussion was $27 per hour) have increased applicant flow.

Commissioners asked whether Rockingham should move to a formal inter-county agreement like those already in place with Merrimack and Carroll counties. Costanza said he would welcome that and said he could return to the board with an agreement, but he did not submit a final contract or ask for an immediate vote. Several commissioners asked to tour the Hillsborough facility before approving any change; Costanza said he would coordinate a visit and provide documentation including the PREA pre-audit results when they are available.

Discussion also touched on medical continuity at release: Costanza described case managers and transition-planning that can provide bridge prescriptions and warm handoffs to community services for people leaving custody. He said Hillsborough does about 4,000 intakes per year and nearly as many releases, which drives the need for stronger intake medical staffing and transition work.

The discussion concluded with commissioners agreeing to schedule a site visit and to receive the proposed interlocal agreement and audit documentation at a future meeting rather than taking immediate action.