Berks commissioners adopt needs assessment for new jail

Jul. 28—The Berks County commissioners approved a needs assessment prepared to help guide them through the process of building a new correctional facility on Thursday, despite pleas from a local advocacy group to delay the vote and collect more information.

The board got its first glimpse of the needs assessment in May when representatives from CGL Management Company presented a study showing the county should build a facility to accommodate 960 beds. That represents a reduction of nearly 24% from a previous needs assessment the firm completed in 2018.

When it was announced that the commissioners were planning to adopt the assessment this week, a local advocacy group voiced opposition to the idea.

Building Justice in Berks wanted the vote to be put on pause, saying the plan lacked some vital information. They issued a statement raising five issues with the plan they said need to be addressed.

Crystal Kowalski, founder of Building Justice in Berks, said before Thursday's vote that she understands the assessment is meant to be a guide and not a blueprint for a future correctional facility.

But, because the assessment is one of the tools the board will use to make future decisions, she believes it would be helpful if it were more reflective of the current population at the jail and took into account how changes in the criminal justice system could affect how many inmates the county will have behind bars in the future.

"The bed projection is too high," she told the commissioners. "The jail population has been hovering around 700 for the greater part of the year."

Despite the plea from Kowalski, the commissioners moved forward with adopting the assessment. Commissioner Kevin Barnhardt, chairman of the Berks County Correctional Facility Steering Committee, said he believes CGL and the committee have done a very thorough job crafting the initial needs assessment.

He stressed that no final decisions will be made without input from the community.

But, he said, he believes concerns are unfounded that building a facility that could house more inmates than are currently incarcerated would lead to the county and courts abandoning initiatives they have developed to keep people out of jail.

Barnhardt noted that is not currently the case. He said the existing facility has enough room to house 1,365 inmates, but that as of Wednesday the population stood at just 687.

"The courts and every other entity involved in the criminal justice system have done a tremendous job of keeping these numbers at or below 700 and they will continue to do so," he said. "My colleagues and I want to make sure that when we construct this new correctional facility that it is the right size because it will be paid for by the taxpayers, so we have a fiduciary responsibility for building a jail."

Following the vote, Barnhardt also took time to address each of the five issues raised by Building Justice in Berks. He shared responses drafted by the steering committee and CGL:

—The group is asking for a more detailed classification of the number of beds based on the reason prisoners are being held at the jail.

Barnhardt said CGL is unable to update that table at this time due to changes in the jail's reporting methods and structures. He said the jail is legally obligated to confine individuals awaiting trial and sentencing, and does not determine the classification of a crime. The courts determine the classification of a crime.

However, the differences in data captured in the update does not impact the recommended detainee projection.

—The group wants CGL to interview and take into account the views of additional stakeholders.

Barnhardt said interviews are being scheduled with citizen advocacy group stakeholders identified as having potential interest and views about programming, the treatment of inmates and staff, and the overall environment within the jail setting.

While they understand these groups may also have views and opinions about the needs assessment, he said they are confident the interviews conducted with justice system stakeholders were thorough and provided the information necessary to determine a safe and adequate amount of bed space.

—The group is asking CGL to eliminate the disproved correlation between an increase in county population (including at-risk population) and an increase in the jail population. Data shows the jail population decreasing as the county's population increased.

Barnhardt said the assessment does not show direct correlation between population growth and the incarceration rate.

—The group wants CGL to limit pretrial detention and reduce projected bed count accordingly.

Barnhardt said the jail is legally obligated to confine individuals the courts deem appropriate for incarceration. This decision is a matter of public safety and judgment of the judicial system, not county government.

—The group is asking CGL recognize that projection models relying on historical data and conventional industry norms are rooted in a culture of mass incarceration, and use models that seek to improve this pervasive problem.

Barnhardt said that while we all desire less crime, and thus less incarceration, the jail is legally obligated to confine people the courts deem appropriate for incarceration.