Schuylkill County prison is once again bulging at the seams.

According to a report by Warden Eugene Berdanier, the population as of Wednesday stood at 306, with 37 inmates sharing cells with two others. That's down from a peak of 352 in November.In September, the prison housed an average of 308 inmates.The population has been rising steadily since January, when the prison housed 264 inmates. There were 275 in February, 279 in March, 279 in April, 281 in May, 294 in June, 276 in July and 292 in August.The prison, built in 1851, should house up to 240 inmates.In other prison board business Wednesday, the board heard a presentation from Teen Challenge Lancaster director of community outreach Joel Jakubowski and executive director Joseph Batluck.The board listened, but took no action.In other business, the board learned the prison is participating in the Christmas Cards for Inmates program, sponsored by CentrePeace Inc. Children create Christmas cards, which are sent to inmates at no charge.Also, Berdanier reported that one correctional officer is on extended medical leave, one returned on Nov. 25 after being on medical leave since May, and another who returned to work last month on restricted duty was cleared to resume full duties on Dec. 4.There is one vacancy for a correctional officer job.