Public commenters and board discuss jail conditions, health care, programs after warden's monthly report

The Lackawanna County Prison Board on April 16 approved routine payables and received the monthly comptroller and warden reports, then heard extended public comment raising concerns about living conditions, medical care, commissary offerings and the availability of rehabilitative programs at the county prison.

The board approved the meeting minutes, current payables for the community corrections center and county prison, and the comptroller's reconciliations by voice vote. The board then heard the warden's report on population, staffing and incidents before a public-comment period in which multiple formerly incarcerated people and advocates urged changes to nutrition, health care, visitation and the prison's programming.

The comptroller, Mr. DeBiglio, said the inmate account balance was $483,103.12 as of February and that the canteen checking account balance was $549,526.49 as of March 31. He also reported $947,816.61 held in Pennsylvania Local Government Investment Trust accounts associated with the canteen, noting that those investments are earning approximately $3,455 per month and will next mature in July 2025.

Warden (name not specified) reported an average daily population of 692 inmates for March, including 544 county inmates, and said staffing totals included 74 full-time officers on shift and two full-time vacancies. The warden recounted five noteworthy incidents in March that included multiple uses of an emergency restraint chair and deployments of OC spray; he also said there were three PREA investigations completed in March, two of which were unfounded and one founded (a consensual contact that nonetheless violated PREA rules). "We averaged 609 adult males, 3 juvenile males, and 80 adult females," the warden said.

Public commenters described perceived shortfalls in food quality and nutrition, medical care delays, mold in showers and insufficient rehabilitative programming. Leslie Smith, a former inmate, told the board a woman with atrial fibrillation in the facility had "fainted while I was on the phone with her. She died and coded on my birthday, October 23, and was taken to the hospital," and said the woman later returned to the jail without receiving appropriate follow-up care or diet accommodations. Other former inmates and advocates said commissary items are "junk food," showers have black mold or mushrooms, and many programs are unavailable because of low enrollment or staffing.

Advocates also pressed the board on access to the law library and on tablets provided to residents. Maggie Craig, a Scranton attorney, asked the board to confirm that the LexisNexis link on resident tablets provides constitutionally adequate access to the courts and urged more direct checks of the system. She also noted not every resident has continuous access to a tablet, and asked whether physical law-library access could be restored or supplemented.

Several speakers urged expansion of rehabilitative offerings including GED classes, addiction recovery programs and increased in-person visitation for parents and children. Sienna Amanda Straub, a former resident and mother, said video-only visitation was insufficient for young children and urged restoration of physical contact with children through coordination between the jail and County Children and Youth Services (CYS).

Board members responded with a mix of acknowledgments and commitments to follow up. The chair, Judge (name not specified), noted a new health-care provider began in January and said a statewide inspection had previously identified mold that had been remediated; he invited residents and advocates to provide names of individuals with current medical concerns so staff could follow up. The board also agreed to post Dan Demuth's solitary confinement review on the county website after members located the file and identified staff to upload it.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to waive reading and approve the March 2025 meeting minutes: approved by voice vote (ayes). Motion and second recorded; roll-call counts not specified. - Motion to approve current payables for the community corrections center and the prison: approved by voice vote (ayes). Motion and second recorded; roll-call counts not specified. - Motion to approve the comptroller's prison inmate and canteen reconciliations for February and related reports: approved by voice vote (ayes). Motion and second recorded; roll-call counts not specified. - Motion to approve the warden's report: approved by voice vote (ayes). Motion and second recorded; roll-call counts not specified. - Motion to adjourn: approved by voice vote (ayes).

Board action following public comment included a commitment to upload the solitary-confinement review authored by consultant Dan Demuth to the county website and to consider discussing the solitary-confinement policy in executive session at the May meeting. The board scheduled an executive session following public comment on personnel matters; no policy changes were adopted at the April meeting.

Clarifying details discussed at the meeting included the exact dollar balances in the inmate and canteen accounts and the canteen's investment balance; the warden provided the number of full-time officers on shift and noted two full-time vacancies; PREA investigation outcomes were disclosed as one founded and two unfounded cases for March. Several public speakers reported individual medical concerns and specific program participation problems, and asked the board to ensure staff follow up on named individuals.

The board did not adopt new policies or appropriate additional funding at the April meeting. Instead, members accepted routine reports, heard public concerns, committed to posting the Demuth review online and said staff would follow up on individual medical and facility issues raised during public comment.

The board plans to consider the solitary confinement review in executive session at or before the May meeting and to provide updates on the new GED outreach program in future warden reports.