BLOOMING GROVE, PA — Very few people expect to spend any time in jail during their lives. But it’s a reality for millions in this country. Currently, there are 785,556 in local jails, such as the Pike County Correctional Facility (PCCF) housed in Blooming Grove.

While we use the words “jail” and “prison” as synonyms, they are not the same, although the lines are becoming blurred. Jail is where charged individuals are housed until they receive their sentences if they cannot make bail or are refused bail. Prison is, by definition, where those who are sentenced are housed to complete their sentences. However, those sentenced to relatively short sentences, say a year or under, tend to spend their sentences in their county jails. Once one adds those incarcerated in state and federal penitentiaries, the number soars to over 1.5 million. The U.S. has the largest prison population in the world. As awareness of this grows, more steps are being taken to make changes, big and small, to our criminal justice system.

Pike County Correctional Facility can house up to 375 inmates. It houses both local offenders and Immigrant and Customs Enforcement offenders. The average stay, according to Warden Craig Lowe, is 100 days. The River Reporter recently visited the facility and spoke with Lowe and assistant warden Robert McLaughlin. Also on hand were Richard Shea, who is certified in alcohol and drug treatment, and Erin Gilpatrick, head of Catholic Social Service.

In addition, treatment counselors Mary Keller, Terry Moony and Erica Zalek were present. All of these counselors are seasoned, as well as the wardens. The counselors work with a marginalized population the general public often has little sympathy for. But the inmates are unique individuals who, with the proper community support, can become productive members of society. Some are simply openly self destructive. Several recent female inmates announced that they intended to score drugs the moment they were released, and they all suffered overdoses shortly after their releases. These issues are spoken of in a matter-of-fact manner because this is the counselors’ work environment. They do what they can, but ultimately the individual chooses his or her route.

Lowe, at a recent commissioners’ meeting, pointed to the national statistic that two thirds of the current jail population has been diagnosed with a mental health issue. The counseling staff at PCCF feels this number is most likely higher. Add in the drug and alcohol abuse, and the number might be closer to three quarters. This does not include inmates who are inside for robbery and burglary, crimes that are often committed in order to obtain money for drugs.

The heroin crisis in our region has become an issue that has touched nearly everyone in the area to some degree. Drug overdoses and related suicides are rising at an alarming rate. The jail is one of the primary and most effective places to start the work required to assess each inmate and devise an individual treatment plan. Time is also needed to determine what classification each inmate falls into. This is related to the type of crime committed, such as violent or nonviolent. After the evaluation, each inmate is placed into a particular barrack. Classification is easily noted by the color of the individual’s clothing.

The jail does not look frightening. It’s bright and active. Some inmates stroll about unattended. Most are busy. There is a large number of programs available to the inmates. Everyone is clean and well groomed. There is access to two gyms and one outside exercise area along with several rooms reserved for meetings and activities.

A second and final installment of this look at PCCF, to be printed in a future issue, will outline the specific programs available to those inmates who qualify and follow through their release and its aftermath. Jail is the window of opportunity for the warden and his staff to help inmates turn their lives around. But following individuals through the system, it becomes apparent that they are released into a world in which they may have little or no support or home. Finding a job with a criminal record is very difficult. The current system sets up released inmates to move right back into the system.