Centre County jail is exploring outdoor recreation options. ‘The need is immediate’
The board that oversees the Centre County Correctional Facility has begun to lay the groundwork for a committee to explore more outdoor recreation opportunities for inmates that have few, a move championed by human rights advocates at public meetings.
After establishing a committee last month, county prison board of inspectors member Jason Moser said during Thursday’s meeting that they’ll next work to identify community members to serve with the group.
An update about who is serving on the committee is expected at the board’s next meeting, as well as a broad outline of the committee’s plans. That includes the frequency of the group’s meetings and its goals, Moser said.
Advocate Mark Kissling, a Centre County resident since 2010, spoke with cautious optimism about the committee’s direction. He hoped much of that information would have been ironed out by Thursday’s meeting.
“I am concerned about thinking about this issue on a slower, drawn-out timeline because the need for outdoor recreation is immediate,” Kissling said. “Any delay that it takes to deliberate about the issue just means that there’s no outdoor recreation that much longer. I’m concerned about the timing.”
Most of the jail’s more than 150 inmates do not experience direct sunlight, save for the handful of those who participate in the work release program, CentrePeace or when they’re transported to and from the county courthouse.
The jail uses a garage-like door and a mesh-covered window for outdoor recreation; inmates do not have an opportunity for recreation in an open field.
The setup is not abnormal.
About three-fourths of Pennsylvania’s 62 county jails have urban recreation areas. Eighteen, including the Centre County jail, are covered and only allow natural light and fresh air through designed portals.
About one-fifth of the state’s county jails have exterior recreation areas.
Eight consecutive biennial inspections from a branch of the state Department of Corrections found the approach complies with the law, though more than a half-dozen advocates have pressed for the county to do more than the minimum.
“This is just no longer acceptable, especially in the wake of a pandemic,” Ferguson Township resident Leslie Laing said at the December board meeting. “It will get worse if we don’t fix it now with these short-term efforts.”
The seven-person board did not express an appetite at its November meeting for major changes, including potential construction of outdoor recreation yards.
A minimum of nine to 15 full-time corrections officers would need to be hired, Warden Chris Schell said in November. That could be a tall task for a jail that’s fought to stay above minimum staffing levels.
“We wouldn’t be running outside rec right now as it is. It wouldn’t be feasible because we don’t have staff,” Schell said. “We would have a rec yard just be sitting there. Practically, I don’t see that feasible here at the county level.”
New leadership at jail, board of inspectors
Changes of any size would have to be sorted out by new leadership.
Board Chairman Michael Pipe resigned from the county prison board of inspectors Thursday; he accepted a position with Gov.-elect Josh Shapiro’s administration. Centre County President Judge Jonathan Grine was voted as chairman.
Schell’s last day at the jail is slated for Jan. 26. He accepted the same position at the Franklin County Jail, closer to his native York County.
Schell has been at the jail since November 2016. He has worked as the jail’s top administrator since May 2017. The experience, Schell wrote in an email Thursday, has been a “wild and crazy adventure.”
He went on to describe the jail as “one of the top correctional facilities in the state.”
“Leaving Centre is a very difficult and emotional departure. I have always enjoyed coming to work to make a difference in my staff, as well as the returning citizens. I have gained a second family,” Schell wrote. “I have good memories and as my time narrows down it becomes more emotional with staff. I feel I am leaving (the) Centre County Correctional Facility in a much better position as when I arrived.”
The board’s next meeting is scheduled for Feb. 9.
This story was originally published January 13, 2023 at 7:00 AM.