Options are being considered by the Schuylkill County Prison Board on ways to alleviate the overcrowding at the county prison.

At its monthly meeting held Wednesday at the courthouse in Pottsville the board 's discussions centered on construction of a modular building in the recreation yard inside the prison walls.The options discussed was whether to building a unit houseing 24 females which would remove them from the main building or a larger unit housing male inmates.President Judge William E. Baldwin, chairman of the board, pointed out the more than a century old building was erected mainly for male prisoners. At one time only one or two women were committed. The average number of the last 10 years has more than 40 women.Also, the male population for the same period has averaged close to 300 inmates. The prison was designed to hold 200.Baldwin also reported options are being considered for installing individulal modular cells which would be used for people brought in by police at night.Currently they are placed in cells to await arraignments before magistrates and bail hearings and by placing them in these cells they could be taken the next morning for arraignment and bail set and immediately released.Baldwin said usually these type of people arrested at night can be violent and that is the reason they are brought to prison to be held before their arraignments and it would be safer to house them in a holding cell.Warden's reportWarden Eugene Berdanier gave a report on physical condition of the prison.He reported problems with the function of the main front door locking mechanism and because the lock is so old a recommendation by the United Prison Equipmemt Company, of Green Lane, was installing a new new lock since repairing the old one would be costly. Berdanier reported that the main door is the only means of regular traffic in and out of the jail and should receive priority consideration.New security benches were installed in the main hallway near the intake desk. They are equjpped with security hooks for the ability to handcuff multiple inmates who are new committments being processed.One cell door was repaired which was damaged by an inmate and a blockage in a cell caused by an inmate.The air conditioning unit in the front entrance office broke down and fans provided for office personnel until repairs are completed.The warden reported on the inmate census which in June peaked to 310 inmates including 251 males and 59 females. The population as of Wednesday was 244 males and 49 females.The warden reported the operational cost of the prison for June was $318,996.72, including $190,913.88 for salaries and wages of employees, $13,780.86 for overtime, $5,282.94 for materials and supplies, $32,318.22 for groceries, $60,053.02 for professional services by the health provider.Income included $3,934 for room and board of inmates on work release, $6,448.49 for commissions for telephone use by inmates, and $2,470.44 in earnings from the prison commissary.Berdanier reported a letter was received from PPL which has accepted the prison's request for identification as a vital facility. He explaned although the jail has a generator to provide power in case it is cutoff PPl would respond quickly to restore power.He also reported Francis E. Menne has successfully fulfilled the requirements of Pa. Act 143 Victim Awareness to become a trained and certified instructor and holds victim awareness education classes for inmates.Menne and Captain Flannery are scheduled to attend a meeting at Harrisburg, sponsored by the Pennsylvania Criminal Justice Unified Case Management Systems, which is a new system developed for tracking offendes in one system but also allows adult probation officers, jail and district attorney staff members, to add departmenmt specific information to the offender.The report of PrimeCare Medical Inc., Harrisburg, health care provider for the inmates, shows 306 inmates on sick call at various times were seen by nurses, 250 were seen by psycholigists, 55 by psychiatrists, 63 visited the dentists, and 21 were on suicide watch with no incidents occurring.Joseph F. Huth, work release coordinator, reported 19 inmates in the work release program have employment, 11 participated in the Vocational Rehabilitation Program and completed 21 jobs which included services for senior citizens. The revenues collected for June was $3,934 for room and board, and $1,234.69 towards their costs and fines.