Could outdoor recreation be coming to Centre County jail? Commissioners OK feasibility study

The Centre County Commissioners have approved a feasibility study for outdoor recreation at the Centre County Correctional Facility following around three years of public outcry.

Commissioners Amber Concepcion and Mark Higgins unanimously approved the motion at their meeting on Jan. 7, with commissioner Steve Dershem absent due to illness.

A contract has now been formed between the county and TranSystems Corporation Consultants of Pennsylvania — the only bidder on the county’s request for qualifications that was sent out last April — for the company to conduct a feasibility study that will explore “all possibilities for recreation” at the correctional facility. Advocates say the jail currently has an inadequate outdoor activity space, which can negatively impact inmates’ mental health.

According to the meeting’s agenda, the contract with TranSystems is for $79,640 plus an additional $3,200 for architect expenses, making for a contract total that is not to exceed $82,840.

“The timeline once they begin — once the contracts are approved and they get them — is estimated at about six months for them to do their end of the work, and come back to us at the end of it with their presentation,” said Glenn Irwin, the warden of the correctional facility.

Currently, according to Irwin and Concepcion, the correctional facility has an indoor yard with holes in the ceiling so that sunlight can leak into the room — which does qualify as an outdoor space under Pennsylvania law, which also dictates that each inmate be entitled to “at least 2 hours daily, physical exercise in the open, weather permitting.”

Many of the speakers at the public commissioners meeting — including Ferguson Township resident Jenna Henry, who was formerly incarcerated in the correctional facility — spoke out against the quality of the facility’s indoor yard, claiming that a new one is necessary.

“I do want to say thank you for this consideration, but I also do want to say that as a person who has been incarcerated in this facility, there is no direct sunlight — not through the window, not through the grate,” Henry said. “There were times where we would sit on the floor of the rec yard in the sun spots that would kind of come in, but you’re not getting any actual direct sunlight. ... This is a serious issue.”

Aside from the not-to-exceed monetary amount, TranSystems was not given any limitations to what they could look into during the study, so a future outdoor recreation plan could include an addition onto the facility’s existing yard or an entirely new outdoor recreation yard. Regardless of the results, though, Irwin said that any option would lead to more employees needing to be hired at the facility.

Following Irwin’s speech, eight county residents took to the lectern to share their support for the feasibility study and their passion to see real outdoor recreation come to the correctional facility.

“I appreciate the support of the commissioners and the prison board to actually do something about this,” said Ken Kline Smeltzer, a Harris Township resident who originally helped bring the issue to the attention of the county’s prison board around three years ago. “We know that a lot county prisons don’t have outdoor rec and have these indoor yards that somehow qualify to meet the state-mandated requirement that prisoners be able to exercise outside. ... So we appreciate you being willing to step out and take a move forward in advance of other counties.”

Other speakers also thanked the commissioners and prison board for their work in making the feasibility study happen, with some sharing information on the positive benefits that exposure to the outdoors and direct sunlight has on people.

Ferguson Township resident Tyson Daniels said true outdoor time was impossible to replicate, while State College Borough resident Cynthia Carpenter spoke about how important mankind’s connection with natural light is.

Concepcion also credited members of the public who raised awareness about the issue.

“This has been discussed for over two years at the prison board of inspectors meetings, and has had a lot of public input over that time — there’s been a lot of public interest amongst folks who have attended those meetings,” Concepcion said. “So, really, this is kind of the result of that public input that we received, asking us to take a closer look at the issue.”

More information on outdoor recreation at the correctional facility will be made available at future county commissioner meetings. The county commissioners meet at 10 a.m. every Tuesday morning at the Willowbank Building in Bellefonte Borough.