County approves Project Success contract to add 24 programming beds at jail

The Beaver County Commission on June 17 approved an expanded contract with Project Success to add 24 programming beds at the county jail to increase treatment capacity for substance-abuse and related programming.

Paul Marshall, clinical coordinator for Project Success, and county corrections leaders briefed commissioners on the need. County staff said the jail’s overall in-custody population fluctuates between roughly 145 and 160 inmates depending on transfers, and that some cells are unusable for safety reasons unless programming and housing assignments change. The contract expansion was presented as a way to open those beds for therapeutic use.

County staff described the additional contract costs as an increase of about $140,000 for Project Success to fund more therapist hours, training tools and services. Presenters said the 24 new beds are intended for long-term treatment placements—“probably over a year in this program,” in the presenter’s words—and that those placements generally house inmates who are easier to manage in a programming environment. Commissioners moved to approve the contract expansion and recorded unanimous support in the meeting transcript.

The county noted the change is not intended to produce profit but to balance costs with program benefits and to reduce housing pressure from higher-risk detainees by placing eligible inmates in treatment beds. The implementation plan will require Project Success to provide expanded therapeutic staffing and programming hours as described in the contract.