Sending inmates to Columbia County Prison is still an option for Schuylkill County after commissioners voted for a housing agreement last week.

At their weekly meeting, they approved a $70 a day rate payable per inmate effective Jan. 1 through Dec. 31.

A previous amount was not provided.

Prison board chairman and President Judge William E. Baldwin said amounts vary at the Centre County and Northumberland County prisons where county prison inmates are sent.

Baldwin said the inmates must meet certain criteria before the prisons before admittance.

“It’s not like we can send anybody we want,” he said.

As of earlier this month, 228 inmates were housed at the Schuylkill County Prison. Of those, men account for 187 and 41 are women. The November peak number was 250 while the lowest was 214.

A total of 28 inmates were staying at the aforementioned prisons when Warden David Wapinsky provided his monthly update at this month’s prison board meeting.