With Schuylkill County prison's population down to 202 inmates, the state Department of Corrections has lifted its restrictions on new commitments.

County commissioners and the county prison board on Wednesday signed a new one-year agreement with the state that allows new inmates to be committed, but requires the county to continue to report prison population numbers every two weeks and keep the numbers under 277.The population had reached a peak monthly average of 294 in February.At the request of President Judge William E. Baldwin, the prison board agreed to authorize Warden Eugene Berdanier to send inmates to out-of-county jails should the population exceed 277, or if the number rises to a level that requires inmates to be housed three to a cell."We're not going to relax. This is something we need to continue to work on, because this is a problem that will not just go away," said Commissioners' Chairman George F. Halcovage Jr.He thanked county administration, the courts, the district attorney's office, prison staff, adult probation and the sheriff's office for their efforts in keeping the inmate population down.Commissioner Frank J. Staudenmeier praised the cooperation among agencies to comply with the state's order."We definitely now need to look for a long-term solution on how to handle our prison population," said Commissioner Gary J. Hess.The state in May ordered the county to stop committing inmates whose sentences fell between six months to five years until it consistently kept its average monthly population at or below 277.People sentenced to two or more years are typically sent to state prisons.The prison has housed fewer than 277 inmates for several weeks, averaging about 240, the cap county officials are aiming for.The lower number allows for influxes of inmates from drug busts, Halcovage said.To do that, the county in March began housing inmates at prisons in Delaware, Centre, Columbia and Berks counties.But that solution came with a hefty price tag: $60 a day per inmate, not counting transportation costs.That meant the county was spending a bit under $3,000 a day - not counting transportation and overtime - to send inmates to other jails.As of Wednesday, 45 inmates were housed elsewhere, Berdanier said.The county will slowly begin to return the inmates, keeping an eye on the 240 cap, said Interim County Administrator Gary Bender.Halcovage said the one-year contracts now in place with the other jails will remain to allow for any overflow from Schuylkill.Baldwin cautioned that the state could shut down the prison without a hearing should the county backslide.For years, the county has been exploring ways to cut down on the inmate population, including a pre-release center, a program that uses strict supervision and electronic monitoring, and a drug court that it hopes to start by early next year.The prison board on Wednesday also listened to a presentation by Kasey Baldwin of adult probation about an inmate journaling program called "Courage to Change," which guides inmates to make better choices.The program is expected to help keep people out of jail.