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Prison board approves pilot to let some defendants serve short weekend sentences to keep jobs
Summary
The Chester County Prison Board approved a pilot allowing selected defendants to serve short sentences on consecutive weekends to preserve weekday employment; the board set the program fee equal to the booking-processing fee, with warden discretion to defer collection for indigent people. The pilot will start with about 15 participants.
The Chester County Prison Board of Inspectors on April 29 approved a pilot program that would let certain defendants serve short sentences on consecutive weekends so they can maintain weekday employment.
Clerk described the plan as a limited pilot targeting a class of DUI or short-sentence offenders who typically serve, for example, a 15-day term but would report on Fridays and be released Sundays. "They come in on a Friday, they get out on a Sunday, allowing them to keep their jobs," the Clerk said. The board discussed logistics and fairness and agreed to try the pilot with about 15 participants and reassess after the initial run.
Under the policy change the board approved, the weekend-program fee will be set equal to the existing booking-processing fee and is due each weekend upon admission; if a person cannot pay immediately, the fee may be assessed to the inmate account. Staff told the board the warden has discretion to withhold collection when a court record shows indigence. The motion to adopt the policy changes was moved, seconded and approved by voice vote with no recorded opposition. The board did not specify an exact per-weekend dollar amount in the motion.
Board members said they wanted clear tracking of outcomes and fairness in court application before any permanent expansion. The board approved implementation steps and asked staff to report back after the pilot.
