HOLLIDAYSBURG — The Blair County Prison’s inmate population was down to 308 as of Thursday, its lowest level in a year and down from the mid-2024 months when the population exceeded 400.

Reports presented Tuesday to the county prison board show the county relying on the Centre County Correctional Facility for housing 19 inmates at $75 per day — one of the factors contributing to the lower inmate population.

Reports also showed that for the second consecutive month, the prison released more inmates than it admitted. In April, reports show 213 inmates released, including ones transferred to other facilities, and 191 admitted — a difference of 22 inmates. In March, the facility released 222 inmates, which was 26 more than it admitted.

But the reports also showed the county was housing 31 state-sentenced inmates in April, three more than it was housing in March, with three trips scheduled this month to state prison classification centers.

Meanwhile, efforts to make greater use of ankle monitoring bracelets for currently incarcerated inmates has made some headway, with a contract addendum now under view by the county solicitor.

Commissioners Chairman Dave Kessling, who chairs the prison board, said during Tuesday’s prison board meeting that he’s still not sure how many additional ankle bracelets are needed.

President Judge Wade A. Kagarise and District Attorney Pete Weeks, who also sit on the prison board, spoke of their ongoing efforts to identify inmates who could be considered eligible for release with an ankle monitor. But since receiving a list of

20 potentially eligible inmates, some of their cases have been resolved and others have been released on bail, so that list may now be down to 12 inmates, Kagarise said.

Kessling confirmed through Chief Clerk Alicia Tiracave that the county has a contract in place with Vigilnet for ankle bracelets the county’s parole and probation office uses.

But if Vigilnet is to provide Blair County with additional bracelets and monitoring services, that requires a contract addendum which the county solicitor’s office is reviewing, Tiracave said.

Kagarise said he needs to know more about the available bracelet options and monitoring services.

“Until the service is in place, I don’t know that I can release anybody,” the judge said.

Kagarise also told the prison board on Tuesday that his legal research has identified case law indicating that the prison board should have discussed and voted on the proposal to transfer a group of inmates to Centre County as a way to reduce the prison’s population.

Commissioners, in April, relied on an existing contract with Centre County to pave the way for the initial transfer. At that time, inmates were regularly complaining about overcrowding and poor living conditions at the prison, as described in federal lawsuits filed with the U.S. District Court in Johnstown.

Commissioner Amy Webster proposed that the prison warden is in the best position to make the decision on the transfer. And according to Kessling, Warden Matthew Hale was involved in deciding which inmates to send to Centre County and avoided ones with upcoming court appearances.

But Kagarise later pointed to the dilemma the warden faces if one member of the prison board tells him to transfer a group of inmates and another board member says to bring them back.

Controller A.C. Stickel, who also sits on the prison board and used to chair it, said he would agree that the prison board should be more involved in overseeing operations but said he would be concerned about setting a policy requiring the prison board’s vote addressing the transfer of a specific number of inmates.

“So what if there’s a desire to move 60 inmates?” Kagarise asked.

Kessling, a former county prison warden in three counties, said he thinks the matter needs more discussion. He also pointed out that it’s the commissioners who are tasked with seeing that the cost is covered.

While the prison board’s meeting agenda included an item for a vote on transferring inmates to Centre County, no vote was taken.

Mirror Staff Writer Kay Stephens is at 814-946-7456.