Two members of the Schuylkill County Prison work staff were fired and a third suspended without pay for two weeks by the county prison board stemming from improper dealings with inmates. The action was taken by the board following a special meeting held Wednesday at the courthouse in Pottsville.

Fired were Matthew Farrone, Girardville, and Jeffrey Harner, Hegins, based on alleged abuse of inmates. Jamee Lee Kruss, Pottsville, was suspended for two weeks without pay for improper conduct pertaining to an inmate and for improper removal of an inmate from a cell during an internal investigation.All three had previously been suspended with pay pending an investigation by a detective, a former state trooper, who was hired by the county on a per diem basis. Criminal investigations are still ongoing by the Pottsville police.At last week's monthly meeting the prison board made recommendations to the commissioners to hire a consultant to re-evaluate the prison and the commissioners acted on their request at a meeting held earlier in the morning.Three persons were hired on a per diem basis as correction facility specialists at $25 per hour for 100 hours maximum to review the operation of the prison and propose any corrections if needed.The prison has recently has had internal problems with staff members and also in attempting to keep within its budget. Hired were, Robert Shannon, Pottsville; David Kneal, Hegins; and Timothy Musser, Carlisle.