The devastating cascade of consequences of the nation's opioid epidemic is pushing more people into prison, straining space, resources and taxpayers' wallets.

The inmate population in Pennsylvania's rural county jails skyrocketed from 6,891 in 2004 to 8,074 in 2010, according to the Center for Rural Pennsylvania, a legislative agency of the Pennsylvania General Assembly.That was also seven years ago, and the numbers, propelled by the tsunami of opioid addiction, have kept climbing.In Schuylkill County, the surge has forced officials to send overflow inmates to other counties at a cost of $60 per person per day because the state Department of Corrections in May capped the population at 277.On Dec. 21, 48 inmates were housed in other prisons, costing the county about $2,880.That's for one day, and it doesn't include travel costs or any overtime for the sheriff's deputies who transport the inmates.County officials are considering buying or leasing a building to house inmates getting ready for release to lessen the financial burden of out-of-county housing.Overcrowding is also an issue in neighboring Carbon County.On Dec. 14, the inmate population in the Carbon County prison was under 200 for the first time since August 2015, according to Warden Timothy Fritz.The inmate population at the 227-bed prison has been steadily climbing over the past several years, rising to more than 230 at some points.Officials were forced to convert the gym into a housing area, and to set up temporary beds to handle the overflow.