POTTSVILLE -- About 40 inmates at the Schuylkill County Prison will soon be leaving, but they're far from free. Those inmates will be transferred to other facilities in the state because the lockup in Pottsville is over capacity.
"They are over-populated, so I'm sure it's not great for them, but is it really supposed to be great for prisoners?" asked Peggyanne Doughtery of Pottsville.
Right now, there are more than 300 inmates at the Schuylkill county prison, the maximum is 277. Some inmates are three to a cell, which the state corrections department won't allow in the long-term.
"The public says, 'put three, four, five in a cell, it's OK.' Well again, the people in there also have rights and we have to follow the law," said Schuylkill County Commissioner George Halcovage.
For now, county commissioners say 15 women will be transferred to the state correctional facility near Muncy in Lycoming County and 25 men will go to George Hill Correctional Facility outside Philadelphia.
It costs less than $45 a day to house an inmate in Schuylkill county. Those 40 prisoners who go to other facilities will each cost the county about $60 a day.
"In the state, the average cost to incarcerate someone per day is $65, so we're actually under that cost," said Halcovage.
The commissioner says just because the prison is over-populated, it won't change how things work around here. If you're found guilty in a courtroom and need to be sentenced, you'll still be spending time in a jail cell.
"We owe it to the general public that we will incarcerate those who need to be."
Some taxpayers say it's not fair they'll eventually have to pay for these inmates to move and feel there should be other programs in place for the non-violent offenders instead.
"They should put them in programs and work, the ones that ain't really got a bad crime record, let them out and do work," said Debra Gumby of Pottsville.
The Schuylkill County Prison Board says in the future it may have to send even more inmates to other facilities. It all depends on the prison population.
The board also plans to continue to look at other options like a county pre-release program.