Lycoming County Prison Board approves expenditures and personnel as July population edges up

The Lycoming County Prison Board approved the previous meeting minutes, authorized expenditures for the county prison and prerelease center, and approved several personnel hires at its meeting. Board members then received informational reports showing a modest rise in July population along with discipline, mental-health and reentry-program statistics.

The board voted to approve the minutes and then approved the monthly expenditures for the prison and the prerelease center by voice vote. Board members also approved personnel actions adding a full-time nurse supervisor (Aaron), full-time correctional officers Amber Connolly, Owen Bigelow, Cameron Hakes, Connor Lurd and Christian Lafferty.

Those votes were made by motion and voice second and were recorded in the meeting as approved. The meeting transcript shows a member moved and another member seconded each motion; the board adopted each item after an "aye" voice vote.

Brett, a staff presenter, summarized July population figures for the prison system. The prison reported an average daily male population of 186.61 and an average daily population at the prerelease center of 37.81, producing a combined average-daily population of 224.42 for the prison system; the monthly peak was 233. For female inmates, the prison averaged 28.55 per day and the prerelease center averaged 6.48, with a combined female average of 35.03 and a peak of 39.

Brett also said the system's average daily population of 259.45 in 2025 was the highest to date. Home detention averages were reported as 0.84 males and 2.06 females.

The disciplinary committee, chaired by Deputy Warren Barnes, held 46 hearings in July. According to the report, 41 findings were guilty with sanctions imposed, two were guilty with sanctions suspended, and three were found not guilty. Thirty inmates had hearings; 11 inmates had more than one incident. The report also noted 15 informational reports generated during the month.

The meeting included a mental-health snapshot taken Aug. 4. Of 368 inmates systemwide on that day, 195 (52.99%) were listed on roster A (some mental-health history or no history), 72 (19.57%) on roster B (past history with no active symptoms in the last year), 91 (24.72%) on roster C (current mental-health history), and 10 (2.72%) on roster D (experiencing serious mental illness). Medication counts reported that of 36 male psychotropic-designated inmates at the prerelease center, 8 (20%) were receiving psychotropic medications; of 6 female prerelease inmates, 3 (50%) were receiving medications. At the prison, of 189 psychotropic-designated beds, 81 inmates (42.86%) were receiving medications; of 28 designated female beds, 10 (35.71%) were receiving medications. The total percent of inmates on psychotropic medication across the system was reported as 39%.

Reentry and monitoring reports were presented by the reentry/transition operations representative. As of July 1, total program population for probation was 111 (77 male, 34 female), with 52 clients in phase 2 and 33 in phase 3. Active monitoring-service clients totaled 35, including 11 on alcohol monitors, 9 on GPS, 14 on home guards and 1 on SLS3. Juvenile GPS cases counted 16 active cases as of Aug. 1. The in-prison reentry program had 44 active clients and completed 69 total intakes to date; in July specifically there were 6 intakes. Program case dispositions in July included 9 successful completions, 21 discharges and 18 intakes.

Staff reported an informational meeting on July 29 between deputy Gordon Edmoner, nurse supervisor Erin, and representatives from River Valley Health and West Bay's tribal health use commission to review medication-assisted treatment (MAT) program coordination. That meeting was described as an introduction for the new nurse supervisor and a review of service issues; no board action resulted.

The board reviewed updates to prison board Policy 18.7 and an updated prerelease policy dated March (no year specified). No formal action was required on those policy updates; board members were offered the opportunity to ask questions but the transcript records no votes on policy changes.

No public comments were recorded during the meeting. Future prison board meetings were announced for Sept. 12 at Lycoming County Prison, Oct. 10 at Third Street Plaza, and Nov. 14 at Third Street Plaza.