Credit: PA Internet News Service
The Bucks County Correctional Facility is seeing inmates stack up as the state correctional system is not accepting prisoners to be transferred from county facilities.
Bucks County Commissioners Chairperson Diane Ellis-Marseglia revealed the problem at last Friday’s Central Bucks Chamber of Commerce State of the County event.
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On Monday, Ellis-Marseglia and county spokesperson Larry King confirmed the situation.
The county department of corrections reported on Sunday that there were 608 men and 111 women in custody, totaling 719. The total facility capacity is 847, but COVID-19 mitigation measures have put a premium on space.
“We continue to be overcrowded and this is exacerbated by the need to quarantine new arrivals as a COVID precaution,” King said.
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Ellis-Marseglia said Monday that there are 36 inmates sentenced to state prison time who are stuck in the county correctional facility until the Commonwealth-wide system begin taking new arrivals.
The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections intake facility State Correctional Institution Camp Hill has halted accepting inmates from county prisons due to COVID-19 cases.
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The state department of corrections reported 27 active inmate COVID-19 cases at SCI Camp Hill and nine active staff cases as of Tuesday morning. The Bucks County Correctional Facility reported no active COVID-19 cases.
Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
“SCI Camp Hill is our intake facility for all county jails. It is the DOC’s responsibility to protect our staff and inmates coming and going throughout the prison system. Because of the COVID positives at SCI Camp Hill, Secretary Wetzel has made the decision to put a hold on all county inmate transfers for a few weeks because of the COVID positives at the facility,” Pennsylvania Department of Corrections spokesperson Maria Finn told LevittownNow.com Monday afternoon.
Ellis-Marseglia raised concern over the next date when inmates would be accepted by the state. She questioned whether other state correctional facilities without cases could take inmates from county jails.
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“Our next hope for any transfer is October 20; but I am doubting they will take any,” she said. “If they do, my guess is three at the most.”
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