Lackawanna County commissioners approve payables, hear warden report on jail incidents and staffing

Lackawanna County commissioners on Tuesday approved routine payables for the county prison and community corrections program and accepted the controller's and corrections reports, then heard a detailed warden's report on jail population, staffing and several March incidents.

The controller told the commissioners that reconciliations for the prison inmate and canteen accounts showed no discrepancies. As of March, the inmate checking account held $465,823.16 and the canteen checking account $486,641.15; the canteen also held $989,947.98 in two Pennsylvania Local Government Investment Trust accounts with stated short-term rates and maturities. Commissioners moved and the motions to accept the financial report and to approve payables (motion 26-3020) carried.

The corrections program presenter reported March totals of 74 adult house-arrest participants and 32 juvenile house-arrest participants, with combined program revenue of $53,436 and program expenses of $65,265. The program recorded 29 completions, five violations/returns and one outstanding program warrant. Commissioners voted to accept the community corrections report.

Warden's report and incidents

Warden [title recorded in the minutes as “Warden”] said the jail's average daily population for March was 616, including 482 county inmates, 543 adult males and 73 adult females; he also reported 134 U.S. Marshals detainees and 15 detainees listed as from "Suscoan County." Staffing tallied roughly 172 full-time officers on shift with three full-time vacancies and a number of officers on intermittent or continuous FMLA, for a total figure cited as 182 officers on the roster.

The warden described six "extraordinary occurrences" in March that required staff intervention: multiple physical confrontations in which staff used an emergency restraint chair; one incident where staff used a pepper-ball launcher to gain compliance; and one case placed on suicide-precaution watch that required a cell transfer. Regarding an internal PRIA investigation into an allegation of staff-on-inmate sexual misconduct, the warden said the investigation was deemed unfounded and the result was forwarded to the district attorney's office for review.

Overtime, payroll and staffing questions

Commissioners pressed the warden about overtime, noting year-to-date overtime of about $478,000 compared with roughly $283,000 in the prior year. The warden said the primary drivers were workers' compensation cases, several officers out on FMLA, three vacancies and hospitalizations; he noted 10 ER visits in March, six of which resulted in hospital admissions. A commissioner flagged an anomalous payroll spike in a February pay period (about $165,000 for that period) and the warden said he would research that single pay-period increase.

Medical coverage

During public comment and follow-up questioning, Eileen Akapenti Dunmore asked whether medical positions are being filled by nurse practitioners or physician assistants instead of physicians. Warren, who was asked to explain the medical coverage situation, said Armor Health — the contractor referenced in the meeting — is using two nurse practitioners to cover the facility for now and is using telehealth with a physician based in Erie County when physician input is needed. "They have two nurse practitioners doing the best they can to fill that role and when the need is there they are doing telehealth with the doctor," Warren said. He added that compensation operates on a cost-plus basis and that a nurse practitioner generally costs less than a physician; commissioners said they would follow up on contract and overtime implications.

Public comments and other business

Bev Daros Scranton told the board she had submitted 22 voter registrations so far in ongoing outreach ahead of upcoming elections and asked for volunteer help to expand registration efforts. Yasin Kujak introduced himself as an imam and chaplain volunteer and said he would follow up at future meetings.

Next steps

Staff agreed to provide supporting details and receipts for a flagged $4,762.38 expenditure for classroom dry-erase boards and a television. The warden said he would research the February payroll spike and report back. No additional formal actions or ordinances were recorded in the provided transcript.