HOLLIDAYSBURG — Blair County pprison inmates are in need of more access to mental health services and programs that could keep them from returning to jail, Commissioner Laura Burke said.

In a statement supporting that, the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania identified it as one of its legislative priorities for 2023. Burke called upon the state to provide counties with money and resources to help a vulnerable population.

“County prisons are the largest providers of mental health services in the state,” Burke said. “We receive people into jail who suffer from behavioral health problems, substance use disorder and many different mental health issues.”

Burke spoke of data she reviewed last year indicating at that time, 82% of Blair County’s incarcerated inmates had a serious or severe mental issue.

“Most county jails are not equipped to address the needs of these inmates and the Blair County Prison is particularly ill-equipped to meet these needs,” Burke said during Thursday’s commissioners meeting. “This inadequacy leads to poor outcomes for those who come to us with a mental health illness — whether they stay incarcerated or whether they are released back to their community in a worsened state.”

When speaking in January about county inmate mental health issues as a CCAP legislative priority, Dauphin County Commissioner George Hartwick made a connection to the need for more community mental health services.

“When unmet behavioral health challenges lead to criminal charges, individuals are often committed to jails that are not equipped to address the needs of people who need mental health treatment,” Hartwick said.

He proposed that counties work with state legislators and others on finding alternatives to jailing people with mental health issues.

Burke added her support for that pursuit.

“We know that our case managers, correction officers and other prison staff are doing their best, but they do not have the tools, programs or facilities needed to take care of these issues within the prison,” Burke said. “We need the support of the state to identify alternatives to incarceration, better diversionary programs, re-entry options and access to state hospital beds when needed.”

While Burke recognized that commissioners sometimes hear of the need for a mental health court, she instead spoke in favor of diverting people away from arrest and court involvement.

“If we had adequate services in our community, we would not need a mental health court or the level of in-person prison services or re-entry services that we do,” she said.

But being able to provide adequate services, she said, would take a massive amount of cooperation and funding from the state.

When asked what would be needed first, she replied: “It’s easier to get grant money if you have a plan.”

Mirror Staff Writer Kay

Stephens is at 84946-7456.