State DOC: Somerset County Jail doing everything right

Somerset County Jail staff follow the rules and adhere to state standards, according to the state Department of Corrections.

The DOC inspection on March 30 showed the facility in a "full compliance" level, a distinction the jail has continuously obtained for about 20 years.

There are no deficiencies or citations, according to the inspections report. Inspector Stephen V. Noll conducted the inspection.

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The jail is on an every-other-year-cycle due to its compliance rating.

The Somerset County Jail is exempt from the normal one-year inspection cycle. As such, the next inspection cycle of the facility will be in 2025, according to Tammy Ferguson, acting executive deputy secretary of institutional operation in a letter to the prison board.

"Receiving full compliance is a distinction that is earned when a facility and staff have met or exceeded (state law) expectations," she wrote. "I extend my congratulations and gratitude to all involved for their outstanding inspection results on a job well done."

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“The Somerset County Prison Board commends the administration and staff of the Somerset County Jail for fully complying with the requirements for county institutions under the Pennsylvania’s Title 37, Act 9," said board Chairperson Pamela Tokar-Ickes.

"The staff and facility has maintained this high standard with the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections for nearly two decades. Warden Denny Vought, Deputy Warden Brian Pelesky and all Somerset County correctional officers should be acknowledged for their individual and professional contributions to this notable achievement,” she said.

What's next: More staff

The jail employee roster is still down 12 positions.

"We are still hurting," Pelesky said in a phone interview Wednesday. "It is a constant process."

About six weeks ago, the county commissioners classified four part-time positions at the jail to full-time to try to help with the staff reduction. This problem of hiring and retaining correctional officers for county jails is a trend across the state, according to discussion among members of the Pennsylvania Prison Wardens Association recently.

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"We still have two full-time positions to fill," Pelesky said.

For the first time, the jail is hiring "off the street," to fill those positions, he said.

The county usually hires staff first to fill part-time position and then gives those individuals first access at any full-time openings.

"This gives the part-timers something to look forward to, because full-time positions opens up a lot of room. The pay scale is a higher rate and quicker speed and there are the benefits," he said.

Now, hiring "off the street" is filling a full-time position immediately with on-the-job training. A full-time correctional officer hired off the street will be paid $16.78 an hour on the first day. After 18 months, that pay will increase through incremental adjustments and that individual could be making $46,000, plus change, annually, Pelesky said.

This article originally appeared on The Daily American: Somerset County Jail doing everything right, says state DOC