The Schuylkill County Prison Board held a special meeting Wednesday at the courthouse in Pottsville to receive proposals from two companies on reducing the overcrowding at the county prison. It was noted as of Wednesday there were 270 prisoners in the confines which was built to hold a maximum of 200.

First to make its presentation was Monte Alsup, representing Proteus, an on-demand facilities with headquarters in Austell, Ga. They provide alernative and temporary solutions for correctional facilities. The proposal was to build a structure within the confines of the current county prison walls in Pottsville which can be used for direct supervision, dormitories, work release center, training areas, administrative areas, inmate processing units, segratation units, dining rooms, vocational training rooms, substance abuse and treatment centersAlsup told the board members taxpayers money can be saved by building a semi-permanent solution for expansion needs by eliminating outsourcing costs or create revenue generating opportunties by utlizing their on-demand solutions. By providing additional space to house inmates can alleviate the overcrowding in the current facility. He said they would lease the facility they installed to the county and the county staff would operate it. He estimate the cost would be between $10 to $12 per inmate per day.The second presentation was made by Allen Ertel, director of Firetree, a non-profit corporation with office in Williamsport. His proposal is to take inmates from the county prison and house them in half-way houses or in the drug and alcohol houses they have in Pottsville, Hummelstown, and Indiana County. Ertel claims his company would provide treatment and rehabilitation which would be a great savings to the county in the long run because the inmates would be integrated into society and would not be repeaters.Ertel claims the present correctional system is a failure because of the high percentage of those who return to the prison. He estimated the cost at $9,000 a month for care of 50 prisoners but again repeated that it would be a savings in the long run because they will not come back to prison.The board told the members it would discuss the offers and give their decision at a later date.