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see why this is important.

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» Good morning and welcome, excuse me, to
the Burks County Jail System Prison

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Board meeting uh today, April 8th. It is
9:00 a.m. and we will call the meeting

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to order.
Yes, sir. We ask our uh COO Kevin to

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please read the public comment notice.
>> Thank you, Commissioner. Public comment

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will be accepted in person through the
Q&A function. Please include your first

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name, last name, and municipality for
all comments. Any comments without name

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and municipality would not be
considered. Each citizen must submit one

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comment. Comment length is dictated by
limitations of the platform being used.

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Team's Q&A. Inperson comments will be
accepted first, followed by comments

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submitted virtually. The meeting comment
period is limited to a total of 30

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minutes, including both in-person and
virtual comments. This time period may

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be extended at the discretion of the
board. Please be concise. Comments that

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are germanine to county business will be
read during the meeting and should not

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be considered to be interactive dialogue
with the board. County solicitor will be

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the final arbiter of whether a comment
is germanine and should be read and

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response to public comment will be done
at the discretion of the board.

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» Okay. Thank you very much. We'll now
move to the approval of the minutes. Are

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there any changes or additions to the
minutes of the March 11 meeting?

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If none, the agenda stands approved at
I'm sorry, the uh minutes stand approved

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as presented. We'll now move to public
comment on agenda items. And we have

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public comment. None in person on agenda
items. Do you have anything online?

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Nothing online. We'll now move to the
presentation today on the Berts County

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criminal justice overview. and I'm going
to introduce our COO Kevin Barnhart who

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will give a brief introduction about
what we're going to be discussing today

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as well as present the different
speakers that we have. Kevin,

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» thank you Commissioner Rivera and thank
you to the prison board for allowing us

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to have this presentation. It's the
first of its kind and we hope that we're

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going to be doing this on an annual
basis uh possibly every April. We felt

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it was important for the board uh as
well as the public to understand a

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little bit more about our providers and
our programs at the jail and how these

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efforts are making a change in our
community. Uh I want a special thanks to

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Deputy Warden Smith for pulling together
all this information over a period of

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months and also putting together the uh
PowerPoint presentation. uh leadership

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of the jail can be commended for being
very uh proactive in criminal justice

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reform as well as our county leadership
team. And just a few other things to

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know uh is that housekeeping as you make
your presentation please just ask for

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next slide because is will be uh making
the slide changes and this is being

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recorded uh because we have one of our
commissioners commissioner is

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unavailable and we want to also ask the
board to consider putting this out on

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the county website for folks to uh view
the slideshow uh that could not be in

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attendance today.
So, uh, you want to consider at the end

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of the meeting. Uh, without further ado,
our first presenter will be our, uh,

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warden, Jeffrey Smith, who will kick off
what's being done within the walls of

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the jail and then move into our other
presenters of programs and

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uh, probably hold your questions till
the end. I think would be a better flow

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of the of the presentations. Thank you.

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» Morning.
>> Morning. Not on. Uh sound.

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» Now,
>> good morning. We're excited for this

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opportunity to reflect on the progress
we made in 2025 to better support the

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individuals in our care. In 2025, our
focus went beyond custody. We

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strengthened our commitment to
rehabilitation, re-entry, and the

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overall well-being. Through expanded
programming, stronger partnerships

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with the community agencies, and
continued emphasis on mental health,

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education, and accountability, we've
created more opportunities for

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incarcerated individuals to succeed,
both during their time in their in the

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facility and after the release. The
following highlights represent not just

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accomplishments, but meaningful steps
towards a more effective and humane

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system.
Uh, next slide, please. Over

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the past several years, the jail's
average daily population has shown a

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consistent and meaningful decline. While
the CO 19 pandemic of 2020 initially

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accelerated this trend through emergency
measures and reduced court activity,

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what's most significant is what happened
afterward. Through strong collaboration

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with the district attorney's office, the
courts, adult probation, and our

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partnered agencies, we've been able to
sustain these lower population levels.

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This reflects a more coordinated and
strategic approach to case processing,

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supervision, and alternative options,
demonstrating that systemwide

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cooperation can safely reduce jail
populations while maintaining public

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safety. Next slide, please.

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So, just to provide a brief overview of
some of the programs and services that

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the treatment department specifically
offers at the jail. Um, we offer a

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variety of group and individual
counseling services. Um, you can see a a

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bulleted list up there. I'm not going to
read them all to you, but we we really

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uh try to focus on evidence-based models
uh specifically cognitive cognitive

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behavioral therapy um which we know is
the most effective method uh with

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individuals who are uh within
incarcerated setting um to target

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criminogenic needs and help reduce
recidivism. Um so we have cognitive

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programming. We also have seeking safety
which is a trauma focused group. We know

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a lot of individuals who come into an
incarcerated setting have um experienced

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trauma in their lives. So, we offer that
as a voluntary experience for them. Um

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they can sign up on their housing units
and uh we have counselors that are

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trained to run that evidence-based
model. Um in 2025, we held over,00

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uh sessions um of group combined group
and individual counseling. And then on

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the right we have a list of other basic
services that we offer within the

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treatment department. Um classification
and orientation is a a staple within any

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jail setting. Uh we need to identify
individuals who are coming into the

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facility and determine what kind of risk
and need they have. Um and we need to

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also orient them to the rules and the
the the um programming and the the

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services that are available to them. So
the treatment department takes on that

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responsibility. Um and
in 2025 we completed over 6,600

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classifications. Um which is a is a
significant number. Um we also do a lot

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of risk screening and assessments. Um
a lot of referrals. the treatment

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department's responsible for reviewing
everybody that comes in, not just

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determining what risk and need they
have, but then what programs we have and

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and referring them to those programs.
Um, and then we also oversee programs

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like earn time, um, coordinating all the
volunteers that come in, reviewing their

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applications, uh, and and things like
that. So, just a brief overview of some

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of the things that the treatment
department within the jail oversees. So,

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um
there's a there's a lot more within

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that, but I just wanted to give you a a
brief picture of uh of what we what we

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focus on daytoday.

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Next slide, please.
>> So, in addition to our treatment

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programs, we've uh expanded on a few
other items. We've increased our out of

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cell time. We've expanded opportunities
for individuals to spend more time

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outside the cells promoting movement
engagement and overall well-being. We've

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enhanced fitness and recreation options.
We've invested in new equipment

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including pull-up dip stations, press
and pull machines, and we added

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recreational activities like cornhole to
encourage encourage physical activity

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and positive use of time. We've also
maintained our free communication

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opportunities for the individuals. We've
continued providing one free phone call

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per month and two free video calls per
week. This helps individuals stay

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connected with the family and their
support systems. We've we've expanded

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inerson visitation, increased access to
inerson visits, strengthening family

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connections, and supporting successful
re-entry outcomes.

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Next slide, please.

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Um, excuse. So, for community re-entry
programs in 2025, we expanded

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our access to community medication. Um,
our PEND dot we we started a PENDOT ID

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program. We expanded our medical
assistance application process and we

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also expanded a program that we had we
already had running in the jail. Um but

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we access we expanded access to um that
program in the community. So in 2024 we

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had started a partnership in the
community with a pharmacy for

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individuals who are released to have
access to prescription medication 14 a

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14-day supply which was free of charge
to them. Unfortunately, that partnership

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um h was terminated um midyear 2025 and
we had to work to develop a new

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partnership uh which we were able to do
towards the end of the year in 2025 um

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which we were very excited to do. We
partnered with um Tower Health Reading

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Hospital um and their ambulatory
pharmacy. So, we're able to offer a

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again a free 14-day supply of medication
to everyone who's released from the

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jail. Um, and the ambulatory pharmacy is
open 7 days a week. Um, and has

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regular hours. So, any at any point when
someone's released any day of the week,

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they're able to go to the pharmacy and
pick up their prescription. Um, moving

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on to the PEN ID program. That was a new
program.

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» I hate to interrupt, but it it kind of
explained that's especially important

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relative to mental health. Oh,
>> that we had situations where people

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didn't get have medication with them,
didn't have access to it, and were in

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trouble within days.
>> Yeah. Prior to that, we were we were

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offering a three-day supply of
medication in hand when people were

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leaving the jail. Um, and individuals
with mental health, I mean, the the

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weight times to see a psychiatrist in
the community were months sometimes. Um,

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so people were really struggling and and
and that's a a significant contributing

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factor to stabilization in the community
when someone's leaving. Um so for us to

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be able to offer a longer supply of
medication um and access within the

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community within the first day that
they're leaving um was was really

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important and really critical. So when
we lost that contract in 24 in 25, it

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was really important for us to find a
new partner in the community. Um, and it

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was really important for us to identify
a partner that was available seven days

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a week and had evening hours. Um, so
that it was something that was

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accessible because we our releases are
anytime during the day or evening. So it

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was really important that it was a
partner that had that kind of same

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availability.
Um, the PEN ID program was started in

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2025. We started that program in March.
Um, and that program, for anyone who

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isn't aware, um, allows individuals who
need,

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um, an ID or a driver's license to make
an application with PENDOT, and we free

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of charge to them, um, submit that
application. Pendot checks their record

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and sees what they're eligible for and
then provides them either a product um,

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that's mailed to the jail or if, let's
say, like you or I, your, you know, your

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your ID or your driver's license is
expired, you need a camera card. you

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need to um show up to a a a a driver's
license center and have their have your

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picture taken again, they'll they'll
send a voucher um so that that person

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once they're released can go to a
driver's license center and have their

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picture taken in a new ID um or driver's
licenses printed. So uh we started that

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pro that program in 2025 um March so not
a full year but in 2025 we processed 549

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applications and we we provided a total
of 409 IDs driver's license or vouchers

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for access to that in the community. Um
which is a pretty significant number and

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that that's missing a couple of months
within a year. Um moving on to medical

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assistance application expansion. Um
medical assistance is again another key

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part of re-entry. Having access to uh
medical benefits in the community

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when you are released from the in from
an institution is a critical component

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of getting not just your medical needs
met but your mental health needs met. Um

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being able to make appointments and have
them in covered covered by insurance.

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Um, so
we had a process in place where some

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individuals were getting applications
done depending on the program that were

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that they were in, but we we had
identified a way to expand that in a

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year prior for individuals who were
sentenced because we knew when they were

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getting out. So it was easy to identify
their release date. And in order to

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submit the application, we need to know
their release date. That's how the the

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process and the system is built within
the the state system. Um, in 2025, we we

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really targeted and prioritized finding
a way to process applications for

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individuals who were released um without
without warning. So, individuals who

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maybe posted bail or went to court and
got time served. And we really didn't

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have that advanced notice and planning
opportunity. Um so we identified a we we

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identified a method and at the end of
2025 we put a process in place so that

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individuals who are released without um
extensive notice um we were able to

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submit their applications the day after
they're released from our facility. Um

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and that that process has been that it's
been going well. Um we have our case

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workers doing that checking our releases
the day prior. Um, and we have case

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workers in the jail seven days a week.
So, that's an effective method for us.

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Um, and the last the last item on our
list is uh the reality check program in

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the community. Um,
again, reality check was is a peer-led

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uh program that's facilitated
um by an individual who has lived

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experience. Um, and he focuses on uh
important re-entry concepts for

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individuals who are getting ready to
leave or recently incarcerated and, you

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know, struggling with criminogenic needs
and and things that are driving some

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criminal behavior. Um, and he really
tries to help uplift them and and help

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them focus on what changes they need to
make in order to make differences in

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their lives in order to not commit new
crimes. Um, and we had that individual's

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name is Charles Jackson. He was coming
into our jail for about a year running

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that program inside and we really saw um
a warm reception from our population.

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the the individuals that were going to
that group um really responded well um

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and showed a lot of change and
new new concepts in their own um

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verbalizations and understandings after
his group was done. And so we we had

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some conversation with Charles and we
decided that this would be a good

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opportunity postrelease. Um, so we
worked out a plan for him to be able to

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offer that group um in the community for
up to a year for any individual who was

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released from Burks County Jail. Uh, so
we fund that program. Uh, Charles is

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currently running two groups a week um
out in the community. Um, one at the

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YMCA and one at the Opaque Center at
Alveria here in the city. Um and

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those are completely free to anyone who
is released from the Burks County Jail

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within the last year. Um and there the
attendance is um it's increasing. It's

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going up. Um and getting we're trying to
get the word out and and encourage

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people to uh to use that support. Um
he's seeing individuals who met him in

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the met him in the jail and are now
finding him in the community. Um, so

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we're seeing really good results from
that. But re-entry wise in 2025, those

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are the those are the strides that we
made.

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Next slide, please.

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» Uh, we streng we strengthened our
support through community partnerships.

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Uh through partnership with the Burks
County Library System, we provide

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children visiting incarcerated loved
ones with the opportunity to select a

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free book from the vending machine. It
helps ease the stress of visitation

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while promoting literacy and posit
positive engagement. In addition, our

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collaboration with Northstar initiatives
allowed us to train our staff to

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recognize the warning signs of human
trafficking and connect with supervis

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with survivors and critical resources
enhancing both awareness and our ability

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to provide meaningful support. Also want
to add that we did just have a visit

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from the state librarian this week to uh
see the success of our program with the

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book vending machine. Was very pleased.
Next slide, please.

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» What's new in 2026? We're expanding our
wellness and personal growth programs.

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00:18:32,240 --> 00:18:38,400
We introduced yoga as a wellness
initiative promoting stress reduction,

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00:18:36,400 --> 00:18:43,200
mindfulness, and overall mental health
for individuals in our care. the Common

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00:18:41,200 --> 00:18:47,200
Grounds Art Program. We partnered with
the local artists to launch a mural

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project throughout our facility. The
designs are created by our by our

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individuals in our custody right now,
fostering creativity, ownership in a

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more positive environment. We enhanced
our staff training with autism

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awareness, provided specialized training
through assert to better equip the staff

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00:19:02,720 --> 00:19:08,799
in recognizing and appropriately
responding to individuals with autism.

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00:19:07,200 --> 00:19:12,480
We also had the opportunity to celebrate
educational achievement. We began

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00:19:10,880 --> 00:19:16,480
formally recognizing GED
accomplishments, reinforcing the value

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00:19:14,240 --> 00:19:22,160
of education and encouraging continued
personal growth, development, and

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00:19:18,160 --> 00:19:27,919
success. And lastly, the puppy program.
Do I need to say anything else really?

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Who doesn't love puppies?
Uh we are partnered with United

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Disability Services who provides uh
service dogs for those with

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00:19:34,640 --> 00:19:43,679
disabilities. We will be taking puppies
along um in the early stages in the

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00:19:40,240 --> 00:19:49,919
welping stage to get them trained and
ready for uh the vetting process. We're

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00:19:47,679 --> 00:19:53,520
also uh going to be vetting the dogs
through a training process where the

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older ones will come in our custody and
the individual handlers will be some of

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00:19:55,679 --> 00:20:03,440
our uh our residents in our in our
custody. They'll be providing them the

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00:20:00,080 --> 00:20:08,799
training on a weekly basis and they will
um get them ready. They will it's a

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00:20:07,200 --> 00:20:14,640
great opportunity to provide something
back to the community, a service dog.

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And that is all we have for you today.
Thank you, jail leadership. Uh we'll now

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00:20:16,559 --> 00:20:23,559
move to Primeare Medical and discuss
medical mental health services at the

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00:20:20,559 --> 00:20:23,559
jail.

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00:20:29,120 --> 00:20:35,600
Good morning. My name is Tom Weber. I'm
CEO and one of the three owners of Prime

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00:20:33,679 --> 00:20:40,559
Care Medical. On behalf of Brent
Babington, Todd Haskins, u we appreciate

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00:20:38,240 --> 00:20:47,840
this opportunity uh to highlight what
we've done uh here in Burks County in

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00:20:43,679 --> 00:20:51,200
2025. Um we submitted correspondence at
the end of February. I hope everyone had

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00:20:49,840 --> 00:20:55,360
an opportunity to review that. If you
have not, I urge you to do so. It goes

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00:20:53,360 --> 00:21:00,480
into some greater detail about the
specific delivery system items covered.

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00:20:58,240 --> 00:21:06,159
Uh I will not be repeating that today.
We have provided a brief uh PowerPoint

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00:21:03,360 --> 00:21:11,679
presentation that I'll go over. Uh that
will touch upon essentially I believe

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00:21:08,799 --> 00:21:16,720
five components. One just the healthcare
delivery system itself, the staffing. Uh

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00:21:14,159 --> 00:21:21,600
we'll go into the medical care. uh than
the mental health care uh the MAT

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00:21:19,520 --> 00:21:26,000
program that we have here in Burks
County and finally uh some of the

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00:21:24,159 --> 00:21:31,280
cost-saving measures that uh we
implement on behalf of Burks County uh

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and its taxpayers. Um if I could have my
PowerPoint, please.

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00:21:32,559 --> 00:21:36,799
» Next slide.
>> Next slide. Sorry.

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00:21:35,200 --> 00:21:40,039
» That's okay.
>> Next slide.

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00:21:40,320 --> 00:21:48,000
We're good. Thank you. Uh Prime Care
Medical uh we're celebrating our 40th

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00:21:45,120 --> 00:21:52,400
year of existence. Uh all we do is
correctional health care. Uh and by

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healthcare we mean the full gambit of
medical, mental health, dental services.

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00:21:55,760 --> 00:22:03,120
Uh we're celebrating 40th year. As I
said, uh this year is our 37th year of

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00:22:00,159 --> 00:22:06,640
partnership with uh Burks County. Uh
with the loss of Dolphin County last

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00:22:04,720 --> 00:22:12,640
year, Burks County is now our longest
standing um client. Uh we appreciate uh

273
00:22:10,480 --> 00:22:18,320
the relationship, the opportunity and
the trust uh placed in us to take care

274
00:22:15,440 --> 00:22:22,159
of those incarcerated in jail system. Uh
we operate in six states now.

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00:22:20,159 --> 00:22:26,720
Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, New
Hampshire, Florida, and as of last

276
00:22:24,080 --> 00:22:31,600
Wednesday, Ohio. As I said, just
focusing on county and juvenile health

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00:22:28,880 --> 00:22:37,200
centers. We care for about 23,000 people
a day, uh all incarcerated. So, uh quite

278
00:22:35,200 --> 00:22:42,320
a bit of experience. uh a lot of that
experience earned here in Burks County

279
00:22:39,760 --> 00:22:48,799
uh matured over the years. Uh certainly
delivery system now is quite different

280
00:22:45,200 --> 00:22:54,559
than it was 37 years ago. Uh never would
we have been seeing treating MAT uh the

281
00:22:52,320 --> 00:22:59,120
full gamut of mental health services,
transgender care, HIV, you name it. If

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00:22:57,760 --> 00:23:02,400
it's happening in the community, it's
happening in your jail system. And we're

283
00:23:01,039 --> 00:23:07,600
charged with the responsibility of
providing the care for those

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00:23:03,600 --> 00:23:07,600
individuals. Next slide.

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00:23:08,480 --> 00:23:19,520
Uh we are uh a 24hour a day, 7 days a
week, 365day operation. Uh we're not a

286
00:23:17,520 --> 00:23:25,280
part-time clinic. We're there around the
clock every day. We provide a little

287
00:23:22,320 --> 00:23:30,880
over 45 full-time equivalent physicians
per week. That equates out to about

288
00:23:27,679 --> 00:23:37,200
95,000 hours of health care services
provided um in Burks County per the

289
00:23:34,240 --> 00:23:42,960
contract. by why I say per the contract
we are contracted to provide 95,000

290
00:23:39,679 --> 00:23:47,360
hours a year. Um I'm pleased to say uh
given the acuity and the seriousness

291
00:23:44,880 --> 00:23:52,880
with which we take our patient care last
year we provided just less than 100,000

292
00:23:49,840 --> 00:23:57,600
hours uh over 4,000 hours more than
contracted for. Uh and that's because

293
00:23:55,200 --> 00:24:00,720
our patients needed it. We felt the need
and we wanted to make sure that they

294
00:23:59,039 --> 00:24:06,400
were as safe as possible while they were
in our care in your custody. uh that

295
00:24:03,600 --> 00:24:12,240
gives the rundown by uh breakdown of
practice area uh between medical, mental

296
00:24:09,200 --> 00:24:18,720
health, MAT administration. Uh so you
see um we are essentially running a

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00:24:15,520 --> 00:24:23,440
small hospital in your facility without
hospital equipment. Uh we certainly

298
00:24:20,720 --> 00:24:28,799
don't have an ICU and the like uh but we
we do have the staff to take care of our

299
00:24:25,919 --> 00:24:34,559
patients uh inhouse for the vast
majority of their medical and mental

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00:24:30,559 --> 00:24:41,120
health needs. Next slide please.
This is a snapshot of the appointments

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00:24:37,840 --> 00:24:46,000
that we've create within a year. Uh it
goes through you'll see for 2020 I I've

302
00:24:44,080 --> 00:24:51,440
given historic perspective so you can
think see how trends are. Um as the

303
00:24:48,640 --> 00:24:55,679
warden mentioned uh the population has
consistently gone down. However, the

304
00:24:53,760 --> 00:25:00,960
health care needs of those within the
facility has not reduced

305
00:24:57,760 --> 00:25:04,960
correspondingly. Uh and unfortunately uh
the reason for that is you know some of

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00:25:02,880 --> 00:25:10,400
the social economic pressures we have in
our community. Uh it is unfortunately

307
00:25:07,360 --> 00:25:15,600
our sickest our poorest uh individuals
who remain incarcerated while those who

308
00:25:12,799 --> 00:25:19,279
have have opportunities um to get out.
It's not true across the board. There

309
00:25:17,200 --> 00:25:24,960
have certainly been strides made uh for
diversionary programs to touch the most

310
00:25:21,520 --> 00:25:28,720
needy. Uh but as a trend um our our
patients have remained the ones that

311
00:25:26,880 --> 00:25:32,880
we've cared for before even when we had
a larger population. Those that have the

312
00:25:31,120 --> 00:25:38,000
largest needs have remained even though
the population has been reduced. I

313
00:25:35,520 --> 00:25:42,880
wanted to highlight there that we have
418,000 appointments uh created for

314
00:25:41,360 --> 00:25:48,960
2025.
181,000 of those were completed. A large

315
00:25:46,320 --> 00:25:52,960
number. Uh but for those of you closely
uh looking at the slide, you may note

316
00:25:50,799 --> 00:25:57,520
that the uh the appointments deleted
actually slightly exceed the

317
00:25:54,880 --> 00:26:03,360
appointments uh completed. And you may
have questions as to how why that is

318
00:25:59,840 --> 00:26:07,360
occurring. Um simply uh we operate all
of our facilities consistent with the

319
00:26:05,520 --> 00:26:11,679
standards created by the National
Commission on Correctional Healthcare,

320
00:26:08,880 --> 00:26:17,840
the NCC, which was an offshoot of the
American Medical Societ Association in

321
00:26:14,240 --> 00:26:22,880
the early 1970s. When the AMA uh
recognized that correctional health care

322
00:26:19,760 --> 00:26:27,279
had become almost its own specialty like
cardiology,

323
00:26:24,400 --> 00:26:33,840
uh they decided that there needed to be
standards to govern best practices. um

324
00:26:30,720 --> 00:26:38,080
in in correctional healthcare and as a
company we follow those standards in all

325
00:26:36,080 --> 00:26:43,360
of our facilities. Burks County
recognizes the importance of those

326
00:26:39,840 --> 00:26:47,840
standards and has elected to follow them
correspondingly. It's it's a it's a

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00:26:45,360 --> 00:26:52,960
whole facility standard. Uh so we are
accredited through the NCC. Some of our

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00:26:50,320 --> 00:26:57,440
counties don't want or don't feel the
need to have that accreditation and they

329
00:26:55,279 --> 00:27:02,159
won't participate. But we still operate
all of our uh delivery system consistent

330
00:27:00,320 --> 00:27:07,360
with those standards. Those standards
require certain things. Every individual

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00:27:04,400 --> 00:27:12,720
has an intake done as soon as practical
upon entering the facility. It is our

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00:27:10,240 --> 00:27:17,200
personal standard uh company standard
that that be done within 4 hours of

333
00:27:15,120 --> 00:27:21,919
entering the facility. Everyone has to
have a physical within 14 days of being

334
00:27:19,679 --> 00:27:26,640
there. If someone is there for a year,
they have to have a repeat physical. So,

335
00:27:24,080 --> 00:27:30,640
as to ensure our compliance with those,
we have built into our electronic

336
00:27:28,480 --> 00:27:34,640
medical set uh record certain things
that triggers that make sure we don't

337
00:27:32,320 --> 00:27:40,320
miss those. So, when you come in for an
intake, your annual physical is going to

338
00:27:37,919 --> 00:27:45,279
be automatically scheduled for 11 months
out to make sure that we complete it

339
00:27:42,240 --> 00:27:49,120
prior to that year. Obviously, most are
thankfully most of our patients aren't

340
00:27:46,960 --> 00:27:54,559
with us for a full year. So, when they
get released, that scheduled appointment

341
00:27:52,159 --> 00:28:00,080
gets deleted. So, it would go in that
category of deleted appointments. In

342
00:27:57,039 --> 00:28:05,360
addition to the NCCHC standards, we've
also implemented certain care standards

343
00:28:02,480 --> 00:28:10,720
that we've put in place um voluntarily
to try and ensure uh the safety of our

344
00:28:08,159 --> 00:28:14,399
patients. One of those by example is
anyone who comes in and flags for

345
00:28:12,559 --> 00:28:19,760
substance abuse is going to be
automatically placed on a detox

346
00:28:16,799 --> 00:28:23,600
protocol. Uh a lot of individuals will
wait to see if someone goes through

347
00:28:21,919 --> 00:28:27,200
withdrawal and then they'll start
treating the withdrawal symptoms. It's

348
00:28:25,440 --> 00:28:32,240
our opinion that it's better to treat it
before it's likely to happen. Uh so we

349
00:28:30,000 --> 00:28:37,919
will start it uh immediately and
typically those uh protocols will last a

350
00:28:35,120 --> 00:28:41,360
period of 7 to 10 days. So again, if
someone comes in, we believe they're

351
00:28:39,840 --> 00:28:45,279
going to be going through withdrawal,
we'll initiate a detox for them that

352
00:28:43,440 --> 00:28:50,080
will say last seven days. They get
bailed out after 2 days. The next eight

353
00:28:48,159 --> 00:28:54,640
days of appointments are automatically
deleted. So that's why if you look at

354
00:28:51,840 --> 00:28:59,520
that graph complete uh closely and you
say, well, it's great they did 181,000

355
00:28:57,200 --> 00:29:06,399
appointments, but why did they delete
195 of them or 195,000 of them? That is

356
00:29:02,320 --> 00:29:12,159
why. Next slide, please.
mental health. Uh it it is finally been

357
00:29:10,480 --> 00:29:17,360
recognized and finally within the last
five years uh that the Commonwealth's

358
00:29:14,559 --> 00:29:22,799
mental health treatments uh system is
failing. Uh there was an initiative in

359
00:29:20,320 --> 00:29:28,559
the Commonwealth going back now almost
40 years that there was a perception

360
00:29:24,799 --> 00:29:32,480
that having state mental health poss
areas was inhumane because it was

361
00:29:30,960 --> 00:29:36,080
inhumane to take someone who is
suffering from mental health problems in

362
00:29:34,159 --> 00:29:40,720
Reading and move them to the Harrisburg
State Hospital away from their family.

363
00:29:38,240 --> 00:29:45,039
So the decision was made to close down
those regional hospitals and have a more

364
00:29:42,880 --> 00:29:49,840
focal focalized attention on mental
health in comma. The problem, as

365
00:29:47,760 --> 00:29:52,880
Harrisburg will often do, is when they
find a source of money, they they freed

366
00:29:51,840 --> 00:29:57,520
up all the money from the state
hospitals. When they find a source of

367
00:29:54,480 --> 00:30:02,000
money, it doesn't go where it was
initially intended to do or go. We all

368
00:30:00,399 --> 00:30:06,000
allowed gambling so that our property
taxes would go down. We have a lot of

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00:30:04,000 --> 00:30:12,159
casinos around. Property taxes have not
gone down. We closed the state mental h

370
00:30:08,640 --> 00:30:16,080
this is me my personal opinions out here
uh but we closed the state hospital

371
00:30:14,080 --> 00:30:19,840
saying okay we'll we'll put the funding
in the local communities so that they

372
00:30:17,919 --> 00:30:24,480
can be treated closer to home. That
funding never materialized. The

373
00:30:22,080 --> 00:30:30,399
community struggle and the patients
suffer. So de facto your your county

374
00:30:27,840 --> 00:30:34,640
prisons bec or jails became uh the
mental health treaters uh in the

375
00:30:32,480 --> 00:30:39,600
community. uh and that fell upon us and
and and the jail system to treat these

376
00:30:36,640 --> 00:30:42,720
individuals. So, we track uh every
individual who comes in, we give them

377
00:30:41,279 --> 00:30:48,480
what's called a mental health stability
rating scale. It's a scale A, B, C, and

378
00:30:45,679 --> 00:30:53,440
D's. Um it was developed as part of an
ACLU lawsuit against the uh Pennsylvania

379
00:30:51,919 --> 00:30:57,200
Department of Corrections and how they
dealt with mental health people as a way

380
00:30:54,880 --> 00:31:01,200
to identify people. Uh it has
ramifications in terms of placing people

381
00:30:59,120 --> 00:31:06,240
in segregation. certain things you have
to do. A's and B's. A's have no history

382
00:31:04,080 --> 00:31:10,799
of uh mental health issues. B's have
none in the last five years. C's have

383
00:31:09,120 --> 00:31:16,480
active mental health issues or at least
in the last two years or receiving

384
00:31:12,399 --> 00:31:21,760
psychotropic medications. And your D's
um are uh those who have a serious

385
00:31:18,799 --> 00:31:27,440
mental illness uh schizophrenia, bipolar
or the like. So we focus a lot of our

386
00:31:24,640 --> 00:31:30,720
attention. Everyone has the availability
of a mental health clinician. All you

387
00:31:29,360 --> 00:31:35,360
have to do, you know, they are screened
at the beginning. They also have a

388
00:31:32,559 --> 00:31:39,840
14-day mental health assessment done. Uh
but if your A's have any concerns, uh

389
00:31:38,080 --> 00:31:43,360
there there's the sick call system so
that they can have access to a mental

390
00:31:41,279 --> 00:31:49,919
health clinician. The C's and D's are
automatically actively followed and

391
00:31:45,519 --> 00:31:55,279
visited uh on a u routine basis
periodically. Um here's the graphic for

392
00:31:52,880 --> 00:32:00,640
your C's. I am pleased to report that
Burks Countyy's jail system uh is one of

393
00:31:57,919 --> 00:32:06,399
the few in our footprint of 86
facilities that has seen a somewhat

394
00:32:02,960 --> 00:32:10,080
steady decline uh in in your C's and
your D's. It it's not completely

395
00:32:08,640 --> 00:32:15,039
significant. There's still a great
presence of mental health uh needs in in

396
00:32:13,519 --> 00:32:19,919
the facility, but it has been on the
decline. Uh I would like to think uh

397
00:32:17,360 --> 00:32:25,679
part of that is as the warden had
mentioned uh a lot of collaboration with

398
00:32:22,399 --> 00:32:30,960
the DA's office the courts of late uh to
see see if there can be other avenues of

399
00:32:28,960 --> 00:32:35,120
placing someone somewhere else other
than getting in the system. Uh because

400
00:32:33,039 --> 00:32:39,200
if someone's incarcerated with a mental
health illness, they're likely to stay

401
00:32:37,360 --> 00:32:43,600
three to four times longer than someone
who does not have mental health. Um they

402
00:32:41,600 --> 00:32:46,960
deteriorate in the facility. They have a
hard time participating in their

403
00:32:45,039 --> 00:32:52,240
criminal system. So just working through
the system is delayed merely as a side

404
00:32:49,760 --> 00:32:56,159
effect of their mental health system. We
have numerous weekly meetings with jail

405
00:32:54,159 --> 00:33:00,240
administration on a number of topics.
One of them is this diversion areas. Is

406
00:32:58,799 --> 00:33:05,039
there a better place for these
individuals? We have releases signed by

407
00:33:02,799 --> 00:33:08,640
our patients at their intake that enable
us to share what would otherwise be

408
00:33:06,640 --> 00:33:13,840
confidential information with jail
administration so that we can go through

409
00:33:10,799 --> 00:33:17,200
and see is someone else worthy. Uh a lot
of times you will hear people say you

410
00:33:15,840 --> 00:33:21,120
know they they'll have a mental health
break. you know, they get stable in jail

411
00:33:19,600 --> 00:33:24,080
taking their medications because it's
readily available. And as the

412
00:33:22,640 --> 00:33:27,679
commissioner pointed out, one of the big
concern is out in the community if they

413
00:33:26,000 --> 00:33:31,039
can't get back on Medicaid or they can't
get an appointment, they don't have the

414
00:33:29,039 --> 00:33:34,880
medications. When they stop taking their
medications, they will deteriorate and

415
00:33:33,200 --> 00:33:39,440
then they act out in a certain way
consistent with another symptom or side

416
00:33:37,279 --> 00:33:44,080
effect of their mental illness and it
causes a break in the law uh and and

417
00:33:42,080 --> 00:33:48,640
then they find their way back in. So
what we try and really do is identify

418
00:33:46,240 --> 00:33:52,159
does someone have criminality or is this
a a symptom of their illness? If it's a

419
00:33:50,880 --> 00:33:55,840
symptom of their illness and they're
safe in the community, can we get them a

420
00:33:54,399 --> 00:34:02,039
different placement so they're not with
us? Uh you're you're can you next slide

421
00:33:59,039 --> 00:34:02,039
please?

422
00:34:05,440 --> 00:34:14,159
And this is uh a similar slide uh for
your category DS, your smis or actively

423
00:34:11,280 --> 00:34:18,159
suicidal. Again, we're seeing a a
decrease over the last couple of years.

424
00:34:16,079 --> 00:34:23,760
Uh so these are certainly positive
trends uh in in the Burks County jail

425
00:34:21,040 --> 00:34:27,720
system.
Next slide, please.

426
00:34:28,399 --> 00:34:37,919
As I started the presentation, I
mentioned the breath of our uh staff uh

427
00:34:34,240 --> 00:34:42,399
and but I also stated we're not an
hospital. We're not ICU. We can't

428
00:34:39,760 --> 00:34:47,280
perform orthopedic surgery. So, some of
our patients certainly present uh with

429
00:34:44,879 --> 00:34:52,639
medical needs uh that are greater than
what can be provided in a correctional

430
00:34:49,280 --> 00:34:57,920
setting. And this slide provides uh the
hospital days uh that patients have been

431
00:34:55,280 --> 00:35:02,640
in uh for 2025 as well as the outside
transports that we had uh complete.

432
00:35:00,560 --> 00:35:07,839
Those house outside transports could be
for an emergency need uh or they could

433
00:35:05,200 --> 00:35:13,599
be for routine type treatment. all of
our pregnant uh females and we had 23 of

434
00:35:10,640 --> 00:35:16,560
them in the facility for 2025. We make
sure that they have an appointment with

435
00:35:14,560 --> 00:35:20,240
an outside OBGYn.
Although we have physicians who have

436
00:35:18,079 --> 00:35:25,359
gone through training and know how to
care for pregnant females, they are not

437
00:35:23,119 --> 00:35:29,440
OBGYNS. We will start them on their
prenatal vitamins. We'll help them along

438
00:35:27,680 --> 00:35:33,920
the way, but we want to make sure that
they are followed by a specialist. So

439
00:35:31,119 --> 00:35:38,720
all of those 23 went out for regular
OB/GYN visits depending on where they

440
00:35:36,320 --> 00:35:43,839
were in the terms of their pregnancy. Um
this slide also uh highlights as I

441
00:35:42,400 --> 00:35:48,640
mentioned you know when the warden
mentioned there's a decline in

442
00:35:45,200 --> 00:35:53,119
population unfortunately the needs of
our patient in terms of the higher

443
00:35:50,320 --> 00:36:00,200
acuity have not gone down but in fact
have risen over the last several years.

444
00:35:56,560 --> 00:36:00,200
Next slide please.

445
00:36:03,760 --> 00:36:11,839
As part of the intake process, uh we
screen people. Uh it's about a 35 to 45

446
00:36:09,680 --> 00:36:17,040
minute intake process to try and get as
complete uh of a history of all our

447
00:36:14,480 --> 00:36:22,160
patients that we can. Uh we truly
believe that the intake is is the

448
00:36:20,000 --> 00:36:27,200
foundation. We we want to start planning
their discharge from the intake

449
00:36:24,480 --> 00:36:31,839
information. Everyone has a blood
glucose level taken. Uh the number of

450
00:36:30,000 --> 00:36:37,440
individuals that we diagnosed with
diabetes that they were unaware of is

451
00:36:35,040 --> 00:36:41,599
truly amazing. The number of people, our
patients, you know, are not the best

452
00:36:39,599 --> 00:36:44,640
carers of their own health in the
community. They're not making the best

453
00:36:43,040 --> 00:36:48,960
decisions often times. That's why they
may end up incarcerated. So they're not

454
00:36:47,119 --> 00:36:53,760
aware that they're walking around with a
dangerous diabetic condition. We've

455
00:36:51,119 --> 00:36:58,160
learned the hard way that if unchecked,
diabetes can manifest itself and turn

456
00:36:55,920 --> 00:37:03,680
into a very serious serious condition
relatively quickly if they're allowed to

457
00:37:00,880 --> 00:37:09,599
go untreated in the back halls of a
jail. So, we test everyone. Uh we do the

458
00:37:07,119 --> 00:37:16,640
same thing for all types of abuse,
alcohol, substances, heroin, um meth, uh

459
00:37:14,160 --> 00:37:21,280
you name it, we have a check to see if
it's on it. Um, and this graph shows

460
00:37:19,200 --> 00:37:24,800
over the last several years what we're
seeing in terms of the people that come

461
00:37:22,720 --> 00:37:30,880
in and screen positive for some type of
substance abuse. Other than a spike uh

462
00:37:28,160 --> 00:37:35,680
shortly postcoid uh which again was
consistent with the community um we've

463
00:37:33,440 --> 00:37:42,320
been you've been experiencing about a
third or 30% of your population comes in

464
00:37:39,680 --> 00:37:47,640
uh suffering some from some sort of
substance abuse. Next slide please.

465
00:37:48,400 --> 00:37:57,839
MAT program. As I said, uh, correctional
health care has changed significantly

466
00:37:53,359 --> 00:38:03,520
over the last 40 years, 37 here in in U
Burks County. MAT programming is

467
00:38:00,560 --> 00:38:11,520
certainly the most significant change of
late. Um, historically, all uh, MAT that

468
00:38:08,160 --> 00:38:17,680
would be provided in a facility was
methadone for pregnant females who came

469
00:38:14,240 --> 00:38:22,640
in uh, addicted uh, to an opioid. Uh,
and that was provided more to care for

470
00:38:20,320 --> 00:38:26,560
the baby uh, than it was actually the
mother or their substance abuse. It was

471
00:38:24,400 --> 00:38:31,680
to try and ensure the safety of the
fetus. Um, that has changed. Uh I can

472
00:38:30,480 --> 00:38:36,079
tell you here in Burks County,
ironically, it's probably 20 years ago

473
00:38:34,079 --> 00:38:40,240
uh Christine Zadler and myself uh
appeared before the court uh in a matter

474
00:38:38,480 --> 00:38:44,800
where we had a young individual who was
brought in who was on a bupinorphine uh

475
00:38:43,040 --> 00:38:49,680
product. I believe it was Suboxone at
the time. He had become addicted to uh

476
00:38:47,599 --> 00:38:56,079
heroin following a sports injury in high
school. Uh and his um family pleaded

477
00:38:53,839 --> 00:39:01,839
with the court to allow him to maintain
that treatment while in the facility.

478
00:38:58,320 --> 00:39:06,320
And at the time, consistent with the the
school of thought, uh we went to court

479
00:39:04,079 --> 00:39:10,000
on behalf of the jail and advocated not
to allow him to have it in it. Um

480
00:39:08,160 --> 00:39:15,280
because it was considered contraband in
a jail. uh it's dangerous and it's still

481
00:39:12,560 --> 00:39:20,320
a dangerous product in the in the uh
jail environment, one that has to be

482
00:39:17,040 --> 00:39:24,720
handled with great care. But back then
um the the thought process was it was a

483
00:39:22,880 --> 00:39:29,760
greater risk to the patient because they
could be vulnerable to uh influence from

484
00:39:27,920 --> 00:39:35,440
other individuals in the facility who'd
want to steal their medications for

485
00:39:31,440 --> 00:39:42,800
their own use. uh or it could be used as
uh a form of uh uh money or uh the like

486
00:39:40,400 --> 00:39:46,960
in jail to to barter. So, we
successfully kept it out as contraband

487
00:39:45,119 --> 00:39:51,280
uh consistent with the school of thought
that we'd be able to maintain his

488
00:39:49,040 --> 00:39:54,560
sobriety uh because he could white
knuckle it while he was in here. He

489
00:39:52,880 --> 00:39:59,040
wouldn't have access to the drug so he
not overdose and then when he got out he

490
00:39:56,640 --> 00:40:05,680
could start it. Uh I tell that story
just to give historical pre uh uh

491
00:40:02,240 --> 00:40:10,079
significance or or point in time not uh
because I'm overly proud of the success

492
00:40:07,440 --> 00:40:14,400
we had because now uh I go around to our
facilities and champion champion MAT

493
00:40:12,320 --> 00:40:20,720
programs. science has advanced in the
last 20 years. The recognition uh once

494
00:40:17,040 --> 00:40:26,000
the DSM5 recognized substance you abuse
as a disease uh the thought of it being

495
00:40:23,520 --> 00:40:30,560
a weakness as opposed to an illness has
has changed and we've seen uh over the

496
00:40:29,200 --> 00:40:35,440
last eight years that we've been
providing it we've seen numbers and

497
00:40:32,640 --> 00:40:40,960
numbers of success stories. So it has
expanded here in Burks County and we

498
00:40:37,839 --> 00:40:46,880
perform uh we provide every form uh of
MAT treatment available to individuals.

499
00:40:43,520 --> 00:40:51,520
Bupinorphine, Vivitrol, methadone, all
of them uh including the long acting u

500
00:40:49,839 --> 00:40:56,640
injections.
uh we've been able to monitor it. Uh and

501
00:40:54,720 --> 00:41:00,400
although some individuals who are on the
program may find themselves

502
00:40:58,319 --> 00:41:05,440
reincarcerated, I'm pleased to say about
68% of those that come back to us have

503
00:41:03,440 --> 00:41:09,760
maintained their program in the
community. So even though they've done

504
00:41:08,240 --> 00:41:15,200
something to run a foul, it could be a
parole violation, something else, it's

505
00:41:12,000 --> 00:41:21,359
not related to narcotics. So we're
starting to see a break in that vicious

506
00:41:17,280 --> 00:41:27,000
cycle uh of round and round. So the MAT
program has been successful. Next slide

507
00:41:24,000 --> 00:41:27,000
please.

508
00:41:29,920 --> 00:41:37,040
And this is an overview of the just the
numbers of our MAT program. Uh I know

509
00:41:35,359 --> 00:41:40,880
there were time limitations so I won't
go every one of them over every one of

510
00:41:39,200 --> 00:41:46,160
them but I'll just highlight the the
most significant I believe. Uh and that

511
00:41:42,960 --> 00:41:53,280
is last year we treated 1566 people in
the MAT program in 2025. That number

512
00:41:49,599 --> 00:41:59,839
will be I believe significantly higher.
Um next year we inducted 159 which means

513
00:41:56,880 --> 00:42:05,200
we introduced 159 new people to MAT
while they were in here. Most of them

514
00:42:02,079 --> 00:42:10,680
are in a form of oral bupinor orphans.
Next and final substantive slide please.

515
00:42:12,640 --> 00:42:19,040
We as a company fully recognize that
providing this level of care is one

516
00:42:16,960 --> 00:42:24,000
necessary uh for the health and safety
of our patients, but two also extremely

517
00:42:21,760 --> 00:42:29,359
expensive to the taxpayers of Burks
County and and that is not lost on us.

518
00:42:26,640 --> 00:42:36,000
Uh so we try as much as possible to
provide that care as efficiently as

519
00:42:32,800 --> 00:42:39,280
possible uh so that the taxpayers of
Burks County are getting the greatest

520
00:42:37,599 --> 00:42:43,760
return for their taxpayer dollar that
they can in terms of correctional

521
00:42:40,720 --> 00:42:50,800
healthcare. Um this is the most concrete
way for us to display uh the level in

522
00:42:48,400 --> 00:42:54,319
which we monitor the funds that are
entrusted to us or the care that is

523
00:42:52,240 --> 00:42:59,200
entrusted to us. As I mentioned before,
there are outside medical needs. We saw

524
00:42:56,400 --> 00:43:07,280
the number of h outside hospital stays.
Last year, Burks County or 2025, Burks

525
00:43:02,720 --> 00:43:12,880
County received over $5.4 million in
claims for outside care rendered. Uh we

526
00:43:10,960 --> 00:43:17,359
on behalf of the county process all
those claims. Uh we are the largest

527
00:43:16,079 --> 00:43:21,760
provider in the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania. Uh number of years ago,

528
00:43:20,079 --> 00:43:27,839
Pennsylvania passed a law that if you
receive care while incarcerated, if it's

529
00:43:25,040 --> 00:43:31,760
outpatient care, it's build at the
Medicare rate. If it's inpatient care,

530
00:43:29,760 --> 00:43:37,680
it's built at the medic Medicaid rate.
Um there is an Oregon association in

531
00:43:34,160 --> 00:43:41,839
Pennsylvania that handles those claims
for most counties. We've worked a deal

532
00:43:39,839 --> 00:43:46,960
with them that we can do it ourselves.
That saves Burks County a participation

533
00:43:44,319 --> 00:43:51,359
fee um because they they allow them to
come through us. We very aggressively

534
00:43:49,200 --> 00:43:55,280
scrub those claims. For any of you that
have received a claim from a hospital in

535
00:43:53,520 --> 00:43:59,760
your house, you will see from your
insurance uh explanation of benefits or

536
00:43:57,599 --> 00:44:03,760
EOB, how the bill will come in from the
hospital at $70,000 and your insurance

537
00:44:02,000 --> 00:44:08,160
company will pay something and then
they'll ask you to pay something, but

538
00:44:05,200 --> 00:44:13,359
they're both smaller than that $70,000.
So, of that 5.49 49 million that Burks

539
00:44:10,960 --> 00:44:19,839
County received, we were able to reduce
those claims to $545,000.

540
00:44:16,880 --> 00:44:25,440
So, we saved 90% of the claims received
uh that that Burks County. So, uh we

541
00:44:23,040 --> 00:44:30,160
like to highlight that because I I think
it epitomizes the mindset that we have

542
00:44:27,920 --> 00:44:34,880
that we want to partner with the county
um and provide the best care possible

543
00:44:32,480 --> 00:44:39,440
for the incarcerated individuals, but at
an expense that the taxpayers can can

544
00:44:37,280 --> 00:44:44,000
afford. Uh, I believe I ran a little
longer than the allotted time, but I

545
00:44:42,079 --> 00:44:48,480
will afford any questions if if there
are any. I also heard that this may be

546
00:44:46,480 --> 00:44:52,400
posted. If the board receives any
specific questions on the medical

547
00:44:50,160 --> 00:44:56,319
information that is out in the public, I
would invite the opportunity uh to send

548
00:44:54,800 --> 00:44:59,359
it on to us. We'll be happy to respond
to anyone's questions. Thank you for

549
00:44:58,240 --> 00:45:05,040
your time.
>> Thank you. Very informative. Thank you.

550
00:45:02,400 --> 00:45:08,640
We now have uh Kathy Null, our executive
director of Council on Chemical Abuse,

551
00:45:06,720 --> 00:45:13,359
joining us virtually to discuss
substance use disorder services through

552
00:45:10,400 --> 00:45:17,040
the Council on Chemical Abuse.
>> Morning Kathy.

553
00:45:14,720 --> 00:45:22,079
» Good morning, Kevin. Um thank you all
for having for inviting the Council on

554
00:45:19,760 --> 00:45:28,000
Chemical Abuse to be here today to talk
about services. Um

555
00:45:25,119 --> 00:45:34,079
next slide.
So today um I want to talk about

556
00:45:31,440 --> 00:45:40,319
what we provide in terms of assessment
and counseling in terms of jail

557
00:45:37,040 --> 00:45:46,319
diversion into treatment and um although
the gentleman from prime care uh really

558
00:45:43,200 --> 00:45:52,880
covered MAT very very well. I will talk
um a little bit about MAT as well. Um, I

559
00:45:50,800 --> 00:45:57,440
think maybe some of you right now might
be saying to yourselves, "Hold on a

560
00:45:54,800 --> 00:46:03,920
minute. Um, does KOKA actually provide
services in the jail? I don't actually

561
00:45:59,839 --> 00:46:09,200
think I've ever seen any KOKA staff in
the jail." And you would be right. We

562
00:46:06,640 --> 00:46:14,960
don't operationalize
um we don't operationalize our services.

563
00:46:12,079 --> 00:46:19,599
What we are doing is we contract for
services through our local provider

564
00:46:17,119 --> 00:46:25,280
network and then we monitor those
services as well. Um next slide, next

565
00:46:22,640 --> 00:46:30,480
slide please.
So by way of background um KOKA is the

566
00:46:28,720 --> 00:46:37,119
single county authority or you'll hear
the terms um SCA for drug and alcohol

567
00:46:33,760 --> 00:46:45,280
programs in Burks County. Um, since the
act of 63 in 1972, which established the

568
00:46:40,480 --> 00:46:50,160
whole SEA system, um, the Burks County
Commissioners have contracted with the

569
00:46:47,520 --> 00:46:55,680
Council on Chemical Abuse to manage, um,
drug and alcohol services and drug and

570
00:46:52,720 --> 00:47:01,040
alcohol funds. Um, we have our
regulations through uh, the Department

571
00:46:58,000 --> 00:47:08,160
of Drug and Alcohol Programs. And again,
every single um county in Pennsylvania

572
00:47:04,480 --> 00:47:15,040
is represented by an FCA and that's, you
know, due to the act of of 63 and um

573
00:47:11,920 --> 00:47:21,839
counties choose how they want to um
implement the SEA functions. Many many

574
00:47:19,200 --> 00:47:27,599
um seas are part of county government.
Again, um our commissioners have decided

575
00:47:25,440 --> 00:47:32,480
to contract with the council on chemical
abuse. So for the past over 50 years, we

576
00:47:30,480 --> 00:47:41,040
have been managing the drug and alcohol
funds um for for uh Burks County. Um

577
00:47:37,839 --> 00:47:45,280
next slide, please. Um, one of the
things that that I I really want to say

578
00:47:43,280 --> 00:47:51,119
is that
Burks County has a lengthy history of

579
00:47:48,400 --> 00:47:58,640
providing high quality state-of-the-art
services to um, incarcerated individuals

580
00:47:55,359 --> 00:48:07,040
um, decades long. And what we have right
now um that KOKA is supporting through

581
00:48:02,880 --> 00:48:13,440
funding and monitoring in our prison um
are we have early intake and assessment

582
00:48:09,520 --> 00:48:19,040
for drug and alcohol. Um we provide for
counseling and MAT as we heard medicated

583
00:48:16,640 --> 00:48:24,880
assisted treatment. Um we have a
diversion program that supports recovery

584
00:48:22,960 --> 00:48:30,720
uh and engages people in treatment
immediately. And then um our case

585
00:48:27,920 --> 00:48:34,400
managers also make sure that we have
community continuation, ongoing

586
00:48:32,800 --> 00:48:39,440
treatment and stabilization. And we've
heard that theme several times as as

587
00:48:37,040 --> 00:48:47,520
people have spoken how important it is
that um people be connected to services

588
00:48:43,359 --> 00:48:53,920
uh in the community as soon as possible.
Next slide, please.

589
00:48:51,119 --> 00:48:58,880
So um one of the things that I talked
about is Koka contracts for services. So

590
00:48:56,800 --> 00:49:02,640
we contract with Burks Counseling Center
and I do believe that they are here

591
00:49:00,720 --> 00:49:08,400
today. So I am not going to take their
thunder and um and and allow them to to

592
00:49:06,000 --> 00:49:14,319
talk about the strides that um they've
made in counseling. But it is Koka who

593
00:49:11,280 --> 00:49:21,200
um contracts for and monitors that
service. Um and BCC does some assessment

594
00:49:18,240 --> 00:49:28,559
for us. They do outpatient counseling.
They do early re early recovery support

595
00:49:24,240 --> 00:49:34,720
groups and some um some pre-treatment
services as well. Uh and I'll let BCC

596
00:49:32,720 --> 00:49:39,839
talk about this and the way they've kind
of are looking at their services uh at

597
00:49:38,720 --> 00:49:45,520
this time, but there's just some
pre-treatment information there for you.

598
00:49:42,800 --> 00:49:49,440
uh BCC will talk more about numbers and
and and actual treatment, but

599
00:49:47,440 --> 00:49:54,800
pre-treatment meaning that we know that
this um that there are individuals who

600
00:49:52,640 --> 00:50:00,800
have a drug or alcohol problem or at are
high risk and for whatever reason um the

601
00:49:59,040 --> 00:50:05,359
referral to treatment in the prison,
their treatment has not started yet in

602
00:50:02,640 --> 00:50:10,640
the prison. And so these pre-treatment
groups help keep people connected, help

603
00:50:08,240 --> 00:50:18,319
start kind of the motivation process for
them to um actually take part in in a

604
00:50:13,680 --> 00:50:24,079
treatment program. Um and also we
coordinate the BCC coordinates very

605
00:50:20,160 --> 00:50:29,440
closely um with MAT. Well, I one of the
conversations really important and vital

606
00:50:26,640 --> 00:50:40,319
conversations that Koka has had with BCC
this fiscal year is um the importance of

607
00:50:36,319 --> 00:50:48,079
that of of being able to move people uh
into treatment as soon as possible in

608
00:50:43,839 --> 00:50:52,000
the jail. And so one of the things that
we were seeing and of course they were

609
00:50:49,599 --> 00:50:59,520
seeing is that that the waiting list for
treatment were continuing to rise. So we

610
00:50:55,040 --> 00:51:05,359
were able to respond to that um to that
situation and to provide them some more

611
00:51:02,400 --> 00:51:11,280
funding so that they could have more
people available to do counseling. Um

612
00:51:07,920 --> 00:51:18,000
and you'll see I I added their um budget
in for this fiscal year. Uh

613
00:51:15,599 --> 00:51:24,800
what you're seeing there is BCC's budget
for outpatient um treatment assessment

614
00:51:22,160 --> 00:51:33,040
and early recovery support groups at the
prison. Next slide, please.

615
00:51:29,119 --> 00:51:38,880
Um I want to talk about the
what we call the medical assistance jail

616
00:51:35,920 --> 00:51:43,200
diversion program. Um,
Deputy Warden Stephanie Smith has

617
00:51:41,520 --> 00:51:49,520
started to talk a little bit about how
the jail was expanding

618
00:51:45,920 --> 00:51:55,760
um, med access to medical assistance.
This program started more than 10 year

619
00:51:52,400 --> 00:52:03,200
10 years ago um, through the Department
of um, human services and the Department

620
00:51:59,119 --> 00:52:11,680
of Public Welfare and uh, the SEA and
the county offices. um they were able to

621
00:52:07,599 --> 00:52:19,920
to make policy that allowed individuals
to apply for medical assistance before

622
00:52:15,920 --> 00:52:25,119
they left the jail. Our whole goal is to
have their medical assistance, we always

623
00:52:22,000 --> 00:52:29,760
use the word the term turned on the
second they step out of the prison. And

624
00:52:28,319 --> 00:52:36,559
the whole purpose of this is to
coordinate their residential treatment.

625
00:52:32,720 --> 00:52:42,240
Um so what happens is that um a person
who is in need of drug and alcohol

626
00:52:38,640 --> 00:52:47,440
treatment um has the opportunity to be
released from prison, picked up by the

627
00:52:45,359 --> 00:52:50,880
treatment provider and brought to
treatment. That way they're not

628
00:52:49,119 --> 00:52:54,960
flounding around in the community trying
to figure out, well, you know, how do I

629
00:52:52,720 --> 00:53:04,240
get there and what do I do? And they go
doortodoor. Um and so during um I think

630
00:53:00,720 --> 00:53:09,440
I have 25 26 here you can see um our
referrals, our assessments um and our

631
00:53:06,960 --> 00:53:13,440
admissions. Um one of the things that
we're particularly

632
00:53:11,520 --> 00:53:18,319
uh
excited about is our successes in terms

633
00:53:16,400 --> 00:53:23,920
of
clients being able to complete the

634
00:53:20,319 --> 00:53:30,400
treatment program is is relatively high.
77%

635
00:53:25,920 --> 00:53:36,559
of of people successfully complete their
um their residential treatment. Um so

636
00:53:34,240 --> 00:53:42,800
that's something that we continually um
point to as a success. The other piece

637
00:53:39,119 --> 00:53:50,000
of this is that um
if we were not able to help people to

638
00:53:46,400 --> 00:53:54,960
apply for medical assistance and if all
of these people would come to the SCA

639
00:53:52,800 --> 00:54:01,280
come come to KOKA and say hey you know
we need treatment service we would never

640
00:53:57,359 --> 00:54:05,920
ever be able to afford it. um medical
assistance has paid out, you know,

641
00:54:03,200 --> 00:54:11,119
millions of dollars over the years for
um people to receive the appropriate

642
00:54:08,079 --> 00:54:16,640
drug and alcohol treatment services. Um
next slide, please.

643
00:54:14,400 --> 00:54:20,640
So, the gentleman, and I'm really sorry
I didn't I didn't write down his name.

644
00:54:18,720 --> 00:54:25,680
I'm really sorry. The gentleman from um
Prime Care started to talk about Oh, he

645
00:54:23,040 --> 00:54:29,599
talked a lot about med uh Medicaid
assistant treatment home. One other

646
00:54:28,000 --> 00:54:37,200
thing I wanted to point out about the
MAJL project was all we have to all we

647
00:54:33,520 --> 00:54:44,720
pay for for that is we support a uh
evaluator case manager. So you're

648
00:54:39,760 --> 00:54:48,559
talking approximately $70,000 a year um
to be able to send people to to

649
00:54:47,200 --> 00:54:54,720
treatment. Just wanted to make make sure
that I I pointed out how cost effective

650
00:54:51,440 --> 00:55:03,680
that is. Um but anyway, back to uh
Medicaid assisted treatment. Um

651
00:54:59,119 --> 00:55:10,480
it it's been uh with the uh inception of
the opioid settlement funds that we've

652
00:55:07,839 --> 00:55:18,000
really been able to partner with the
county and with the prison to talk about

653
00:55:13,920 --> 00:55:25,839
and to implement um comprehensive
medical uh Medicaid assisted treatment

654
00:55:20,960 --> 00:55:34,240
services. So, um,
we pay for Prime Care's, um, medical

655
00:55:30,480 --> 00:55:36,720
time as well as the medication except
for my

656
00:55:35,040 --> 00:55:42,000
» Your average 5D player thinks dungeons
are boring as hell.

657
00:55:38,240 --> 00:55:46,640
» Uh, Koka has nothing to do with uh the
methadone program there. The jail has a

658
00:55:44,480 --> 00:55:51,040
a different partner and a different way
of making sure that that happens. We

659
00:55:48,559 --> 00:55:57,680
don't we don't do the methadone. Uh we
do however pay for the bupinorphine viv

660
00:55:54,160 --> 00:56:03,839
vivitrol supplicate and again and all of
the medical um appointments that are

661
00:56:01,280 --> 00:56:08,160
associated with them. Um and then I have
some activity there and again we are

662
00:56:06,240 --> 00:56:15,200
like uh the gentleman from prime care
said we're really really happy with how

663
00:56:10,960 --> 00:56:21,359
this program um is being utilized in the
jail. And my numbers may be a little bit

664
00:56:18,880 --> 00:56:26,400
different from uh prime care's numbers
only because I think we might have

665
00:56:22,640 --> 00:56:33,599
counted different time periods. Um so
Medicaid assisted treatment in the jail

666
00:56:28,799 --> 00:56:40,079
uh that that that is budget for 2526 as
you can see is over $800,000. And again,

667
00:56:37,520 --> 00:56:47,440
without opioid settlement funds, we
would not have been able to uh

668
00:56:44,079 --> 00:56:55,920
support financially this project the way
we can now. This uh and and just a note,

669
00:56:51,200 --> 00:57:02,400
um the MAT at the jail is a county and a
Cocoa priority for uh continued opioid

670
00:56:59,680 --> 00:57:08,240
settlement funding. Um next slide,
please.

671
00:57:04,960 --> 00:57:14,880
Um, so again, why is this important? And
we know that it reduces overdose risk.

672
00:57:11,440 --> 00:57:22,480
Um, we improve community engagement. Um,
and supporting accounting ability. Um,

673
00:57:18,240 --> 00:57:28,319
and we know that this is the way that
that this has been implemented in our

674
00:57:24,640 --> 00:57:33,839
jail is recognized as a model for other
county jails. And I I I do believe I've

675
00:57:30,720 --> 00:57:38,559
never gone, but I do believe um the the
team has been invited to provide

676
00:57:35,599 --> 00:57:45,359
consultations to other uh jails and
jurisdictions. Uh again, this is a a a

677
00:57:42,960 --> 00:57:50,079
program that really wraps itself around
the client to ensure that while they're

678
00:57:48,799 --> 00:57:55,839
in the prison, they're getting their
medication, they're getting their treat,

679
00:57:51,839 --> 00:58:01,359
their cognitive treatment, and that they
are totally connected in the community

680
00:57:58,400 --> 00:58:07,520
for their next step. Um next slide,
please.

681
00:58:04,079 --> 00:58:15,760
So um again this is about MAT and one of
the things that uh I I wanted to make uh

682
00:58:12,319 --> 00:58:23,359
the prison board aware of is that
we are going to we are starting a formal

683
00:58:19,440 --> 00:58:28,880
evaluation of MAT. We we have been um
again, Deputy Warden Smith has been

684
00:58:26,480 --> 00:58:33,680
working with us to be able to kind of
plan this evaluation. Um and what we

685
00:58:32,079 --> 00:58:36,720
want to do, again, we're not going to be
able to answer for you next April when

686
00:58:35,599 --> 00:58:42,160
we come again. We're not going to be
able to tell you how many people did we

687
00:58:39,200 --> 00:58:50,079
cure today, but we can at least begin to
talk about um postrelease residi

688
00:58:45,760 --> 00:58:56,400
recidivism um treatment continuation in
our community. And we hope to also be

689
00:58:52,880 --> 00:59:01,200
able to um interview our participants in
in these programs. And so we can talk a

690
00:58:58,480 --> 00:59:06,640
little bit about their perspectives and
um and then and then anything that we

691
00:59:04,000 --> 00:59:13,520
see that we can is there a gap in
services? Is there something that we can

692
00:59:08,640 --> 00:59:19,520
be doing um differently? So uh in
addition to our monitoring that we do,

693
00:59:16,160 --> 00:59:26,319
we are going to continue to um evaluate
as well. Next slide, please.

694
00:59:23,760 --> 00:59:33,200
Um, again, some some stats why they
matter. 63% of incarcerated individuals

695
00:59:30,319 --> 00:59:39,440
um meet criteria for substance use
disorder. Um, we know that as people are

696
00:59:36,319 --> 00:59:45,040
leaving jails and other institutions,
they're they have an elevated um

697
00:59:42,160 --> 00:59:52,559
overdose risk and we know that MAT
reduces that relapse and recidivism.

698
00:59:49,599 --> 00:59:57,920
Next slide, please.
Um,

699
00:59:54,079 --> 01:00:06,799
so looking ahead, we want to continue to
support um postrelease care. Um, again,

700
01:00:04,160 --> 01:00:12,319
we're going to enhance our outcomes
tracking. Uh again looking at we want to

701
01:00:10,480 --> 01:00:17,760
really be able to have an understanding
of the number of people that are able to

702
01:00:15,599 --> 01:00:23,200
connect with their services outside of
of the prison as they're leaving and see

703
01:00:20,480 --> 01:00:30,160
if there's anything in there that are we
missing anything. uh continuing with our

704
01:00:27,040 --> 01:00:36,079
collaboration uh with
we we we Koka meets regularly with uh

705
01:00:33,280 --> 01:00:42,160
our providers in the jail as well as
with uh

706
01:00:39,200 --> 01:00:48,319
uh mostly our communication is with
deputy warden Stephanie Smith just to to

707
01:00:44,960 --> 01:00:54,720
make sure that what we are providing is
still what is needed to to be able to

708
01:00:51,599 --> 01:00:58,960
respond to any problems Like I said
before, we we knew that there was a a

709
01:00:56,880 --> 01:01:07,440
waiting list and we had a response to
that and we want to make sure that we um

710
01:01:03,440 --> 01:01:14,240
always have adequate support for all of
the uh and capacity for all the services

711
01:01:11,040 --> 01:01:20,000
that we're providing. Um next slide
please.

712
01:01:16,400 --> 01:01:26,400
So again, um
we believe that the funding of these

713
01:01:23,200 --> 01:01:30,720
services at the prison, they are a
priority. Not only do we believe that,

714
01:01:28,160 --> 01:01:37,119
that's the way that um we do our work.
They are a priority. We've had over

715
01:01:32,960 --> 01:01:45,200
1,800 assessments, over four almost 500,
if not more, um MAT enrollments, 344

716
01:01:41,920 --> 01:01:51,359
diversion admissions into treatment.
um uh and and I did point out the 77%

717
01:01:49,040 --> 01:01:57,680
diversion completion rate and a
nationally recognized um MAT model.

718
01:01:55,119 --> 01:02:05,200
Again, we are committed
to continue this uh with the prison as

719
01:02:01,119 --> 01:02:12,240
we have for decades uh providing
state-of-the-art high quality treatment

720
01:02:08,720 --> 01:02:15,200
um at Burks County Prison. Um and that's
what I have for you this morning. Thank

721
01:02:14,319 --> 01:02:18,760
you.
>> Thank you very much.

722
01:02:19,839 --> 01:02:26,960
» Do a thing other than Okay.
>> Okay.

723
01:02:24,400 --> 01:02:31,400
» Next is Bur Townson Center,
>> Substance Abuse Disorder Treatment

724
01:02:28,400 --> 01:02:31,400
Service.

725
01:02:35,520 --> 01:02:41,599
» Good morning everyone. My name is Bonnie
Tbe. I'm the clinic director at Burks

726
01:02:39,200 --> 01:02:45,119
Counseling Center. Burks Counseling
Center is a certified community

727
01:02:43,119 --> 01:02:49,359
behavioral health center on the national
level and an integrated community

728
01:02:47,200 --> 01:02:53,920
wellness center within the state of
Pennsylvania. You've already heard a lot

729
01:02:52,160 --> 01:02:56,880
about what we're doing in the jail, so
I'm just going to add a couple of

730
01:02:55,200 --> 01:03:00,480
snippets to that, but then I'm going to
share a story.

731
01:02:59,040 --> 01:03:04,640
So, we've been in partnership with the
Burks County Jail system and Koka to

732
01:03:02,480 --> 01:03:10,000
provide the SUD services within the jail
for over 30 years. And what that looks

733
01:03:07,200 --> 01:03:14,000
like is we're assessing new inmates in
the jail to see if they are in need of

734
01:03:11,520 --> 01:03:21,119
our services. We're then providing their
services as a DDP licensed site using

735
01:03:18,000 --> 01:03:26,400
evidence-based practices. Um we're also
providing early recovery supports

736
01:03:23,119 --> 01:03:34,799
typically run by a peer specialist.
Um and then we have now bridged those

737
01:03:31,039 --> 01:03:39,440
services to our outpatient. So within
our jail program, we have a case

738
01:03:36,880 --> 01:03:43,760
manager, we have a peer. They are able
to meet the individuals while they're

739
01:03:42,240 --> 01:03:48,160
incarcerated in the jail, be
participatory in their treatment, and

740
01:03:46,000 --> 01:03:53,280
then assist them in getting to our
outpatient to ensure that that first

741
01:03:50,880 --> 01:03:57,440
week postrelease, they've got the
supports in place, they've got access to

742
01:03:55,119 --> 01:04:02,559
what they need. What that looks like is
on the day of release, the case manager

743
01:04:00,000 --> 01:04:07,359
and or the peer pick the individual up
from the jail, take them to the pharmacy

744
01:04:05,039 --> 01:04:12,400
to pick up their medications, bring them
to BCC so that they can have their first

745
01:04:10,160 --> 01:04:16,640
outpatient appointment, no intake
necessary because they're already in our

746
01:04:14,240 --> 01:04:20,480
services within the jail. We take them
to probation to do their initial

747
01:04:18,240 --> 01:04:24,799
check-in if that is necessary, and we
make sure that they get home. So that's

748
01:04:23,039 --> 01:04:29,200
the basics, but really what I want to
share with you today is a story. For the

749
01:04:27,760 --> 01:04:33,599
purpose of this story, we're going to
call this gentleman Joe. Joe was

750
01:04:31,920 --> 01:04:40,319
incarcerated within the Burks County
Jail system in 2024. He was there for

751
01:04:37,200 --> 01:04:43,760
about 16 months when he was able to
finally be accepted into treatment

752
01:04:42,079 --> 01:04:48,880
court. I don't know when he applied, so
that's not a judgment. Um, so he was

753
01:04:47,039 --> 01:04:53,440
there for 16 months. While he was there
for 16 months, he did participate and

754
01:04:51,440 --> 01:04:58,160
complete our services within the jail
system. Once he was accepted to

755
01:04:56,000 --> 01:05:03,200
treatment court, he was able to then get
into rehab to enhance the treatment that

756
01:05:00,720 --> 01:05:09,119
he'd already been receiving. Went from
rehab directly to our continued supports

757
01:05:05,920 --> 01:05:14,960
in our outpatient program.
This gentleman was a success both in and

758
01:05:11,760 --> 01:05:20,000
out of the jail. So while in the jail he
actively participated in our services

759
01:05:17,760 --> 01:05:23,680
and then even once he completed
volunteered to be a peer support within

760
01:05:21,760 --> 01:05:27,920
those groups so that he could provide
what he had learned and enhanced in his

761
01:05:26,400 --> 01:05:31,680
treatment to the others that are joining
the groups. He also actively

762
01:05:29,839 --> 01:05:36,240
participated in our early recovery
supports.

763
01:05:34,000 --> 01:05:41,520
He had struggled for years many attempts
at getting sober and none had worked. So

764
01:05:39,440 --> 01:05:50,160
he was throwing himself full tilt into
this um opportunity that he had to this

765
01:05:45,920 --> 01:05:55,359
day. So he entered treatment court
um finished rehab and came back to our

766
01:05:52,240 --> 01:06:00,480
outpatient program in August of 2025. He
has since completed his group treatment

767
01:05:58,559 --> 01:06:04,319
but continues to attend individual
sessions and meet with the psychiatrist

768
01:06:02,480 --> 01:06:08,960
to continue to address his mental
health.

769
01:06:05,920 --> 01:06:13,359
As of today, he continues to maintain
his sobriety, is compliant with

770
01:06:11,119 --> 01:06:18,720
treatment court, is currently on phase
three of treatment court, um has gone

771
01:06:16,400 --> 01:06:23,039
from living at the YMCA to owning his
own apartment. He is now working

772
01:06:20,960 --> 01:06:27,000
full-time and doing everything that he
can to maintain that sobriety.

773
01:06:27,680 --> 01:06:31,920
» Good story. Thank you.
>> Thank you.

774
01:06:29,839 --> 01:06:36,720
» Thank you very much. Appreciate that.
Uh, next is the uh Burkstown

775
01:06:34,720 --> 01:06:40,520
Intermediate Unit education services
provided at our jail.

776
01:06:44,559 --> 01:06:47,760
» Good morning.
>> Morning.

777
01:06:46,079 --> 01:06:52,880
» Uh, and thank you for the opportunity to
provide an overview of the education

778
01:06:49,839 --> 01:06:58,000
services at the Burks County Jail.
Brooks County Interview has been

779
01:06:55,200 --> 01:07:04,720
providing educational programming in the
facility since 1997 with GED programming

780
01:07:01,280 --> 01:07:08,400
being handed over to the BCIU in 2018.
Our goal at the BCIU is to ensure that

781
01:07:06,720 --> 01:07:12,480
all individuals both youth and adults
have access to meaningful educational

782
01:07:10,720 --> 01:07:17,760
opportunities that support their
academic progress, workforce readiness,

783
01:07:15,200 --> 01:07:21,240
and successful reintegration. Next
slide, please.

784
01:07:23,280 --> 01:07:30,000
The program provides a comprehensive
range of services including high school

785
01:07:26,960 --> 01:07:35,280
diploma completion, GED preparation and
testing within the jail facility, adult

786
01:07:32,559 --> 01:07:39,520
basic education, ESL services, and a
full special education services.

787
01:07:37,839 --> 01:07:42,960
Instruction is aligned with students
home school district for diploma

788
01:07:41,200 --> 01:07:47,599
programming or school valley school
district as our host to ensure credits

789
01:07:45,680 --> 01:07:52,319
transfer and students remain on track
towards graduation. We also have a

790
01:07:50,400 --> 01:07:56,400
strong internal structure including
certified teachers and an educational

791
01:07:54,559 --> 01:08:01,359
specialist who coordinates enrollment,
transcripts, IEP compliance, and

792
01:07:58,799 --> 01:08:06,000
everything GED related. Next slide,
please.

793
01:08:04,240 --> 01:08:10,200
A key point to highlight is the strength
and compliance of our program.

794
01:08:10,400 --> 01:08:17,199
A 2024 review by the Pennsylvania
Department of Education confirmed that

795
01:08:14,799 --> 01:08:22,400
the program meets all requirement
special education indicators, including

796
01:08:19,359 --> 01:08:26,239
IEP implementation, documentation, and
confidentiality practices. This

797
01:08:24,880 --> 01:08:29,839
demonstrates that even with a
correctional setting, students are

798
01:08:27,759 --> 01:08:35,319
receiving services that meet both
federal and state standards. Next slide,

799
01:08:32,319 --> 01:08:35,319
please.

800
01:08:41,120 --> 01:08:49,199
One moment that stands out from this
year was graduation. As you had heard

801
01:08:45,440 --> 01:08:53,600
earlier, seeing students succeed that
previously struggled significantly in

802
01:08:51,040 --> 01:08:59,520
traditional school settings was not only
a success but a monumental moment for us

803
01:08:55,839 --> 01:09:02,880
in education. For those individuals,
this may have been the first time ever

804
01:09:01,120 --> 01:09:07,040
that they were publicly recognized for
their academic accomplishments. There's

805
01:09:05,040 --> 01:09:11,920
a sense of pride not just from the
students but from the staff and their

806
01:09:09,279 --> 01:09:15,920
peers. They really underscored the
importance of their work and it was a

807
01:09:14,080 --> 01:09:20,640
reminder that education in this setting
is not just about academics. It's about

808
01:09:18,080 --> 01:09:26,920
restoring their confidence, dignity and
sense of possibility at any age. Next

809
01:09:23,520 --> 01:09:26,920
slide please.

810
01:09:27,600 --> 01:09:31,400
You can look at the numbers.

811
01:09:32,080 --> 01:09:39,120
You can look at the numbers.
Historically,

812
01:09:35,759 --> 01:09:45,600
um we have served uh we have had served
871 GED students and 148 diploma

813
01:09:43,279 --> 01:09:50,239
students over our tenure providing
education at the Burks County Jail.

814
01:09:48,719 --> 01:09:54,159
Looking more broadly, the program
continues to demonstrate strong

815
01:09:52,000 --> 01:09:59,760
participation and impact. Last year
alone, 52 GED sections were passed. Um,

816
01:09:58,239 --> 01:10:05,360
as you may know, there are multiple
sections within the GED test. Students

817
01:10:02,400 --> 01:10:10,719
can take a a test in each section and
then take the entire test completion to

818
01:10:08,000 --> 01:10:15,440
have the full GED. That way, if they for
some reason would leave the jail early,

819
01:10:13,280 --> 01:10:20,239
uh, they have had sections passed and do
not have to repeat the passing of those

820
01:10:17,360 --> 01:10:25,199
sections at their next location.
We also had nine full GEDs earned.

821
01:10:23,120 --> 01:10:32,239
Historically, as noted, we have served
over 870 GED students and 148 diploma

822
01:10:29,360 --> 01:10:36,320
students. These outcomes support
increased literacy, critical attainment,

823
01:10:34,640 --> 01:10:43,400
and the improvement of engagement within
the facility, all linked to better

824
01:10:38,159 --> 01:10:43,400
re-entry outcomes. Next slide, please.

825
01:10:44,480 --> 01:10:50,400
It's also important to recognize the
impact of CO 19 on the program during

826
01:10:48,719 --> 01:10:54,400
that time.
Testing restrictions significantly

827
01:10:52,159 --> 01:10:58,719
limited our credential completion
despite continued participation. But

828
01:10:56,800 --> 01:11:03,280
even so, the program continued to serve
hundreds of individuals annually and

829
01:11:01,120 --> 01:11:08,480
maintained uh we maintained access to
education during that very challenging

830
01:11:05,199 --> 01:11:13,400
period. As you can see, our um numbers
continued to rise during that time

831
01:11:10,400 --> 01:11:13,400
regardless.

832
01:11:13,840 --> 01:11:17,480
Next slide, please.

833
01:11:18,960 --> 01:11:27,280
this school year uh highlighting current
we are currently serving 25 diploma

834
01:11:23,840 --> 01:11:34,000
students and 79 GED students as of this
month we've administered 40 GED tests

835
01:11:30,239 --> 01:11:38,320
and 28 sectional past so far uh one full
GED earned to date the data is a little

836
01:11:36,880 --> 01:11:43,280
bit different between diploma
programming and GED because the the

837
01:11:40,239 --> 01:11:48,000
years are different so in our GED uh we
run on a calendar year and then our data

838
01:11:45,679 --> 01:11:51,120
for our diploma program runs on a
traditional school year. So, you will

839
01:11:49,760 --> 01:11:54,880
see that there's there are some
differences there.

840
01:11:53,360 --> 01:11:58,640
Again, one of our most meaningful
highlights this year was hosting the

841
01:11:56,320 --> 01:12:02,239
first graduation ceremony with the help
of Deputy Warden Smith, which allowed us

842
01:12:00,640 --> 01:12:05,920
to formally recognize student
achievement in a way that these

843
01:12:04,000 --> 01:12:11,640
individuals potentially have not
experienced in the past. Next slide,

844
01:12:08,640 --> 01:12:11,640
please.

845
01:12:16,400 --> 01:12:26,400
In summary, um, oh, sorry. Uh, while the
diploma numbers are smaller, this, um,

846
01:12:23,520 --> 01:12:30,239
smaller number accounts for the age
currently within the Burks County jail

847
01:12:28,400 --> 01:12:36,000
system. So, in the past, and we had
started in 1997 with programming, uh,

848
01:12:33,840 --> 01:12:41,199
the jail housed students who were
younger than 18 years old. And so when

849
01:12:39,040 --> 01:12:45,679
that transition happened, our numbers of
course shrank within the the diploma

850
01:12:43,520 --> 01:12:49,520
program piece. But while the diploma
numbers are stronger, they are smaller.

851
01:12:47,760 --> 01:12:53,520
They they represent significant
individual achievement. Many of these

852
01:12:51,760 --> 01:12:57,360
students require credit recovery,
special education supports, and

853
01:12:55,440 --> 01:13:02,159
individualized planning, which our staff
take on. Each diploma earned represents

854
01:13:00,000 --> 01:13:06,480
a meaningful step towards long-term
stability and opportunity for the

855
01:13:04,159 --> 01:13:12,280
student, and they have their own diploma
to leave with.

856
01:13:08,640 --> 01:13:12,280
Next slide please.

857
01:13:14,080 --> 01:13:21,040
In summary, the program is well
established, compliant, high quality,

858
01:13:18,719 --> 01:13:25,760
participation remains strong, students
are making measurable academic progress,

859
01:13:23,600 --> 01:13:31,239
and the program plays a critical role in
supporting re-entry. Next slide, please.

860
01:13:32,000 --> 01:13:38,719
Um, again highlighting our first
ceremony.

861
01:13:35,760 --> 01:13:38,719
Next slide.

862
01:13:39,120 --> 01:13:46,159
You can see that we have expanded
completion rates for both GED and

863
01:13:43,520 --> 01:13:49,760
diploma programming.
We have an honored achievement within

864
01:13:47,679 --> 01:13:54,400
the state as we continue to surpass the
special education regulations. Our

865
01:13:52,400 --> 01:13:59,520
curriculum is career focused and it
aligns with those career initiatives. We

866
01:13:56,960 --> 01:14:04,000
currently have new career initiatives in
place to start for the new school year

867
01:14:01,920 --> 01:14:08,800
and it upholds standards. So we
currently follow all PTE regulations and

868
01:14:06,320 --> 01:14:12,440
are monitored regularly with success.
Next slide please.

869
01:14:12,800 --> 01:14:21,040
Most importantly behind every number in
the data for education is an individual

870
01:14:18,320 --> 01:14:25,840
gaining skills, confidence and a pathway
forward often for the first time. And we

871
01:14:23,920 --> 01:14:30,400
thank you so much that you allow us to
be part of that growth.

872
01:14:28,400 --> 01:14:34,080
Happy to take any questions but thank
you.

873
01:14:32,640 --> 01:14:37,600
Thank you very much.
>> Thank you.

874
01:14:34,560 --> 01:14:43,040
» Thank you. Appreciate that. Next up is
connections work on uh

875
01:14:41,120 --> 01:14:46,840
re-entry pre-trial forensic diversion
and other support services.

876
01:14:50,719 --> 01:14:57,840
» Good morning. Um thanks for the
opportunity to be here today. I am Peggy

877
01:14:55,520 --> 01:15:03,199
Kersner. I'm one of the co-executive
directors at Connections Work. Uh,

878
01:15:00,880 --> 01:15:08,800
Connections Work is a nonprofit
organization. We celebrated our 50th

879
01:15:06,719 --> 01:15:14,800
anniversary last year, so we're very
excited about that. Our primary target

880
01:15:11,520 --> 01:15:20,880
population is individuals in the justice
system, and we provide services in a

881
01:15:18,000 --> 01:15:25,920
wide variety of ways. uh really running
the the full spectrum of that system

882
01:15:23,360 --> 01:15:31,520
from diversion programs which you heard
a little bit about but I'll talk more

883
01:15:27,679 --> 01:15:37,199
about um through pre-trial we have some
re-entry programming

884
01:15:33,600 --> 01:15:40,960
and also programming um we operate the
pardon project of Burks County so that's

885
01:15:39,360 --> 01:15:46,800
sort of at the far end of somebody's
involvement in the system

886
01:15:43,520 --> 01:15:52,400
the main um amount of the work that we
do is in re-entry programming And we

887
01:15:50,239 --> 01:15:56,000
serve a lot of individuals. All told,
our programs and my wa I'm my phone is

888
01:15:54,400 --> 01:15:59,600
ringing in my watch and by the time I
figure out how to turn it down, I'm

889
01:15:57,760 --> 01:16:06,159
sorry if you can hear that. I'll just
put my hand back here. Um we serve over

890
01:16:02,560 --> 01:16:09,760
2,000 people every year. Um in the jail
and in the community, we have a large

891
01:16:07,920 --> 01:16:14,719
presence in the community. In our
re-entry workforce development programs,

892
01:16:11,840 --> 01:16:19,120
we serve over 1,200 people. So, just to
kind of set the scene and the scope, um,

893
01:16:17,199 --> 01:16:23,840
and keep in mind as I talk about our
programming at the Burks County Jail, we

894
01:16:21,679 --> 01:16:27,600
have, you know, services available for
individuals when they're back out into

895
01:16:25,280 --> 01:16:32,080
the community. So, we really appreciate
the opportunity. Um, our partnership

896
01:16:30,080 --> 01:16:35,840
with the county is amazing. Our
partnership for years with the Burks

897
01:16:34,080 --> 01:16:42,320
County Jail is great because we would
not be able to do, uh, next slide,

898
01:16:38,159 --> 01:16:46,239
please. the um long list of programs
that we do in the jail if if we just

899
01:16:44,400 --> 01:16:49,920
really weren't working with the same
goals in mind, which is really, you

900
01:16:48,560 --> 01:16:54,159
know, the best way to do re-entry
programming is to start planning for

901
01:16:51,760 --> 01:17:00,080
that person's release the day that they
are incarcerated. So, um with that

902
01:16:57,360 --> 01:17:05,600
mindset, um we operate our program. So,
the re I'll just say a little bit about

903
01:17:02,080 --> 01:17:09,199
each of them. Um our website is
burksconnections.org.

904
01:17:07,440 --> 01:17:13,440
You can if you're or if you're
interested or connectionswork.org my god

905
01:17:11,280 --> 01:17:17,520
that's our old name. Um if you're
interested in more information you can

906
01:17:15,120 --> 01:17:22,719
look there. So our re-entry resource
center is a program that we had

907
01:17:19,679 --> 01:17:28,239
initially developed for the community um
and actually during COVID and we had

908
01:17:25,360 --> 01:17:32,480
always provide in addition to re-entry
workforce development for folks coming

909
01:17:30,000 --> 01:17:38,159
into our office. We know that perhaps
needing a job was not their only um

910
01:17:35,520 --> 01:17:42,080
barrier and their only need. So we had
always been very tuned into that and

911
01:17:40,080 --> 01:17:46,880
through a case managed approach were
able to identify other barriers and

912
01:17:44,239 --> 01:17:50,800
needs that might include ID,
transportation,

913
01:17:48,480 --> 01:17:56,320
housing and all those sorts of things.
Uh during COVID we realized that

914
01:17:53,040 --> 01:18:02,159
people's needs are growing and services
were rapidly declining in the community.

915
01:17:59,199 --> 01:18:07,199
So, we were able to obtain some funding
to kind of provide extra needs or if

916
01:18:04,880 --> 01:18:11,520
someone was coming out of the the prison
and perhaps was not ready to look for a

917
01:18:09,280 --> 01:18:16,320
job or didn't need employment at that
point, um we would be able to just sort

918
01:18:14,000 --> 01:18:21,520
of assess them um look at where they are
and and what can we help them obtain to

919
01:18:18,880 --> 01:18:26,560
achieve stability. Um, and I believe it
was Deputy Bordon Smith who was always

920
01:18:23,440 --> 01:18:30,960
looking out for uh more services for the
folks uh for the inmates who came to us

921
01:18:29,040 --> 01:18:35,840
and said, "Gosh, this would be great if
you could start this while people are at

922
01:18:32,960 --> 01:18:39,760
jail. Why wait if we don't have to until
they get out into the community to start

923
01:18:37,920 --> 01:18:46,239
kind of helping them put those pieces
together. So, we were able to obtain a

924
01:18:43,520 --> 01:18:51,520
grant um that allowed us to expand that
program. And so for the last several

925
01:18:48,480 --> 01:18:56,080
years, we've actually had the ability to
have staff up at the jail to kind of

926
01:18:54,400 --> 01:19:00,640
start working with people on putting
some of those pieces back together to

927
01:18:58,560 --> 01:19:05,600
have some things in place so when they
do their eventual return to the

928
01:19:02,560 --> 01:19:09,679
community. And it's typically um we we
don't work too far in the distance for

929
01:19:07,199 --> 01:19:12,640
that return that you know they have some
of those things in place and then when

930
01:19:10,960 --> 01:19:16,239
they get out they can come back into our
office and finish up what needs to be

931
01:19:14,400 --> 01:19:21,199
done while they're what's easier to be
done while they're in the community. Our

932
01:19:18,080 --> 01:19:29,520
working toward change program is a
re-entry program that began in 2010. It

933
01:19:25,280 --> 01:19:35,840
was our first uh real foray into a
evidence-based re-entry and workforce

934
01:19:31,840 --> 01:19:42,239
development program. So, we since 2010,
we've been working with uh case managers

935
01:19:38,960 --> 01:19:47,440
up at the jail, serving a segment of the
population, working very intensively

936
01:19:44,800 --> 01:19:53,600
with them to prepare them for their
release into the community. Um, and the

937
01:19:50,719 --> 01:19:58,400
best practice in re-entry programming is
that you have a warm handoff and a

938
01:19:56,080 --> 01:20:02,880
continuum of care. So those folks that
we work with in the jail can get out and

939
01:20:00,880 --> 01:20:07,199
the very that day or the very next day
can come into our office which is right

940
01:20:04,560 --> 01:20:11,840
across the street and begin working with
their same case manager. And once out in

941
01:20:10,080 --> 01:20:15,920
the community, we're able to focus a
little bit more on employment

942
01:20:13,840 --> 01:20:23,440
connections to employers and that sort
of thing. Our mothers and father's voice

943
01:20:19,440 --> 01:20:29,600
program um is actually a a an initiative
that is celebrating its 30th anniversary

944
01:20:26,320 --> 01:20:34,400
this year. So for 30 years we have been
providing a service to not just the

945
01:20:32,560 --> 01:20:41,600
inmates in the jail but to their
families and children as well. Um, every

946
01:20:37,440 --> 01:20:49,199
week we send staff and volunteers into
the jail for um, recordings of books for

947
01:20:45,920 --> 01:20:54,239
inmates who have young children um, who
would like to maintain a connection. One

948
01:20:51,040 --> 01:20:59,440
of the things that we find is that a lot
of times for a variety of reasons,

949
01:20:57,120 --> 01:21:03,920
children left behind in the community do
not always get to maintain maintain

950
01:21:01,679 --> 01:21:08,560
contact with the incarcerated parent.
Could be a lack of transportation. It

951
01:21:06,480 --> 01:21:12,480
could be that the caregiver doesn't feel
that they want the child exposed to the

952
01:21:10,800 --> 01:21:17,679
jail setting or for whatever reason
just, you know, they're they're not able

953
01:21:14,159 --> 01:21:24,000
to make that happen. Um the inmates can
sign up to read a book. They are

954
01:21:20,000 --> 01:21:30,480
recorded doing so and then we take that
back to the to our office. Um the book

955
01:21:27,840 --> 01:21:34,960
and a YouTube link and that has changed
over the years as you might expect. At

956
01:21:32,880 --> 01:21:40,080
one time we were sending cassette tapes
I believe. Um but we now provide a

957
01:21:37,679 --> 01:21:45,360
YouTube link and if they would like a CD
burned we can do that. So this is a way

958
01:21:42,239 --> 01:21:51,440
to um really help maintain that
connection. We have a lot of families

959
01:21:48,400 --> 01:21:56,960
who reach out to us and express a lot of
gratitude for their children being able

960
01:21:54,000 --> 01:22:01,199
to hear their mothers or father's voice
every night. And we have lots of stories

961
01:21:59,360 --> 01:22:06,560
about kids who want who insist on
watching that. So if you can imagine um

962
01:22:03,920 --> 01:22:11,920
the stress for both parent and child in
that situation. So you know we think it

963
01:22:09,360 --> 01:22:16,639
helps um maintain that connection. So
when the parent is back out and they're

964
01:22:13,520 --> 01:22:22,320
going to reunite with the family um it's
not quite so foreign to them. Promotes

965
01:22:19,360 --> 01:22:27,120
literacy. The book uh vending machine is
awesome and much in that same light. Um

966
01:22:25,040 --> 01:22:34,719
the kids are exposed to different kinds
of books. So just some scope for that

967
01:22:30,000 --> 01:22:40,320
program. Last year we had 447
readings by parents and they were

968
01:22:37,120 --> 01:22:45,840
delivered to 944 kids in the community.
So times that by 30 give or take you

969
01:22:44,159 --> 01:22:51,120
know some changes every year. So we
that's really impacted a lot of families

970
01:22:47,840 --> 01:22:54,880
and we appreciate the jail um you know
providing the room for that to happen

971
01:22:52,960 --> 01:22:58,560
and the opportunity for the volunteers
and the training for the volunteers come

972
01:22:56,719 --> 01:23:02,719
in because you know doing things in a
jail we know is a little it's not just

973
01:23:00,800 --> 01:23:07,679
it's like no other place in the world to
walk into a building and try to provide

974
01:23:04,480 --> 01:23:11,520
a service. So, we know that um it takes
some extra effort and we're so grateful

975
01:23:09,760 --> 01:23:15,920
that they are willing to to do so
because they understand the importance

976
01:23:12,960 --> 01:23:24,000
of the programs. Our pre-trial services
program serves individuals um typically

977
01:23:20,320 --> 01:23:30,080
early on um after arrest. We uh
interview folks post arrest and we have

978
01:23:27,840 --> 01:23:36,080
an evidence-based assessment where we're
looking at the potential for pre-trial

979
01:23:33,360 --> 01:23:42,560
release for individuals. We provide that
information to the courts. Um we we some

980
01:23:40,880 --> 01:23:47,520
of those interviews are done before the
person reaches the jail. That is not

981
01:23:44,719 --> 01:23:52,239
always possible. Uh so we have staff at
the jail uh seven days a week conducting

982
01:23:50,480 --> 01:23:58,560
in-person interviews. That program
operates 24 hours a day. Last year we

983
01:23:55,840 --> 01:24:03,760
conducted 1463
interviews at the jail. So we are

984
01:24:01,280 --> 01:24:10,719
looking to see if an individual might be
able to be safely um released into the

985
01:24:08,080 --> 01:24:16,480
community on bail.
That program also provides um a service

986
01:24:13,760 --> 01:24:21,440
of pre-trial jail population management
where we're monthly kind of looking at

987
01:24:18,880 --> 01:24:25,440
that population at the jail so we can
look for both maybe individual

988
01:24:23,360 --> 01:24:31,520
situations if someone's fell through the
cracks or some more kind of systemwide

989
01:24:28,480 --> 01:24:36,639
things and trends um to look at how many
people are sitting in the jail on a true

990
01:24:34,000 --> 01:24:41,840
pre-trial basis meaning that they don't
have any other reason why they're there.

991
01:24:39,199 --> 01:24:48,880
Um the average I believe for last year
was around 32% at any given time. Um our

992
01:24:46,800 --> 01:24:53,600
forensic diversion program, diversion is
a word you heard a lot about this

993
01:24:50,960 --> 01:25:01,040
morning. Super important. We have a
forensic diversion program that seeks to

994
01:24:57,360 --> 01:25:08,880
divert appropriate individuals who have
a severe mental illness and who are are

995
01:25:04,320 --> 01:25:14,560
arrested or may be arrested for um
non-violent offenses. So individuals who

996
01:25:12,480 --> 01:25:20,159
it is very very obvious that is their
mental health condition is has resulted

997
01:25:17,920 --> 01:25:23,920
in their involvement with the system. We
actually the program actually works a

998
01:25:21,920 --> 01:25:29,440
lot with local police departments and is
often um called prior to the arrest an

999
01:25:27,760 --> 01:25:34,800
arrest being made to see if the
diversion might happen at that point. Um

1000
01:25:32,320 --> 01:25:43,360
if the folks are arrested and end up in
jail, we can interview the individuals

1001
01:25:39,600 --> 01:25:48,880
work with uh crime care staff, the DA,
the public defender, jail staff and look

1002
01:25:46,159 --> 01:25:54,159
at that person's mental health history
and you know other factors to determine

1003
01:25:51,440 --> 01:25:58,800
if there is an appropriate diversion for
them, if they have somewhere stable to

1004
01:25:56,480 --> 01:26:03,600
live. uh get them back into treatment,
onto medication if that's necessary, um

1005
01:26:02,159 --> 01:26:08,159
and divert them out of the system
because as has been said many times,

1006
01:26:05,679 --> 01:26:13,360
jail is not the place for those folks
who are suffering from mental illness.

1007
01:26:09,840 --> 01:26:17,840
So, that's a super important program and
hopefully part of those numbers that

1008
01:26:15,679 --> 01:26:22,159
Prime Care saw trending down, I'd like
to think that um that program in

1009
01:26:20,480 --> 01:26:25,920
partnership with with so many other
entities and that is the uh county's

1010
01:26:24,480 --> 01:26:34,239
mental health and developmental
disabilities office who um funds that

1011
01:26:29,840 --> 01:26:40,400
program uh through us. So, we also help
out with the Burks County Jail Voting

1012
01:26:36,560 --> 01:26:48,880
Project in Pennsylvania. Um there are
individuals who are eligible to vote um

1013
01:26:44,080 --> 01:26:54,080
who might be incarcerated and we um
provide the ballots for that to happen

1014
01:26:51,120 --> 01:27:00,800
to the jail. Um and you heard the jail
talk about the jail ID project which is

1015
01:26:58,080 --> 01:27:07,760
absolutely awesome. Um that is probably
our number one thing that we find as a

1016
01:27:04,480 --> 01:27:11,679
really like concrete barrier for folks
um who are freshly out of jail or

1017
01:27:09,679 --> 01:27:17,280
sometimes who've been out for a while.
You can barely do anything without an

1018
01:27:14,000 --> 01:27:22,560
ID. Um getting in homeless shelters
certainly getting employment. Um that

1019
01:27:20,320 --> 01:27:27,199
has been a huge huge help to our
organization to the folks that we serve

1020
01:27:24,560 --> 01:27:32,080
for the jail to to take on that project.
So, one of the things that we do, as you

1021
01:27:29,679 --> 01:27:36,400
might imagine, their numbers are great
for that first year. So, you know, in

1022
01:27:34,800 --> 01:27:39,360
the timing is everything department,
sometimes in the justice system, you

1023
01:27:37,920 --> 01:27:43,280
just don't know when someone might be
released from jail. So, if somebody's

1024
01:27:41,199 --> 01:27:48,560
sort of midway through that process and
hasn't received their paperwork yet, um,

1025
01:27:45,679 --> 01:27:53,920
and they get released, our office serves
as the hub for where that paperwork will

1026
01:27:51,679 --> 01:27:58,639
go so that folks can come in there to
pick it up, which is a perfect

1027
01:27:56,159 --> 01:28:02,159
partnership because we also have
workforce development and all kinds of

1028
01:28:00,480 --> 01:28:07,520
great programming there. So, if they
come in to get that ID paperwork, we can

1029
01:28:05,040 --> 01:28:13,840
kind of offer up our other services and
hopefully help them in a lot of ways.

1030
01:28:10,880 --> 01:28:17,840
So happy also to answer questions either
now or if somebody wants to reach out

1031
01:28:16,080 --> 01:28:20,480
afterwards.
>> Thank you.

1032
01:28:18,239 --> 01:28:24,239
» Thank you very much.
>> Next is reality check project peer

1033
01:28:22,560 --> 01:28:27,239
support and re-entry skills. Good
morning.

1034
01:28:33,040 --> 01:28:39,520
» Good morning.
>> So I don't have a PowerPoint

1035
01:28:37,280 --> 01:28:43,679
presentation. kind of just bought an
outline.

1036
01:28:41,040 --> 01:28:48,480
Um,
but let me introduce myself. My name is

1037
01:28:45,520 --> 01:28:52,960
Charles Jackson and I'm the uh founder
of the organization Reality Check

1038
01:28:50,480 --> 01:28:57,840
Project.
Uh, to talk about the work that we've

1039
01:28:55,199 --> 01:29:03,679
done in the prison in 2025.
Uh we went in and we were focused on

1040
01:29:01,199 --> 01:29:08,560
emotional intelligence,
stress and anger management, life

1041
01:29:06,159 --> 01:29:12,560
purpose development,
uh communication skills, and financial

1042
01:29:10,800 --> 01:29:19,120
literacy.
We also had the returning citizens.

1043
01:29:16,000 --> 01:29:25,280
We had them
uh we had them make vision boards

1044
01:29:23,440 --> 01:29:29,840
which allowed them to really go inside
their brain and think about what they

1045
01:29:26,880 --> 01:29:37,320
wanted to trade their life for.
Um so that was one of the one of the

1046
01:29:32,719 --> 01:29:37,320
other subjects that we did in 2025.

1047
01:29:38,000 --> 01:29:41,800
Moving into 2026,

1048
01:29:47,280 --> 01:29:58,239
our focus now is we're we're trying to
get individuals to focus on identity

1049
01:29:54,400 --> 01:30:02,560
versus ego. What what I found is that a
lot of people,

1050
01:30:00,000 --> 01:30:07,840
they know what their name is,
but they don't know who they are or who

1051
01:30:05,520 --> 01:30:12,480
they're trying to become.
So, we're focused on identity versus

1052
01:30:10,560 --> 01:30:17,199
ego.
Also, when you get out of prison, you're

1053
01:30:15,040 --> 01:30:21,280
in survival mode.
And

1054
01:30:19,520 --> 01:30:26,159
we're teaching them that survival mode
is not failure.

1055
01:30:24,159 --> 01:30:29,719
uh it's necessary, but we're trying to
get them to stabilize

1056
01:30:29,760 --> 01:30:36,880
and survival mode so that they can move
into purpose mode

1057
01:30:35,600 --> 01:30:42,800
because we believe once you're
stabilized, you can start focusing on

1058
01:30:39,360 --> 01:30:46,679
what your purpose is, why you're here.
And from purpose mode,

1059
01:30:46,880 --> 01:30:53,920
uh we think the the next step would be
leadership mode. So, we're trying to get

1060
01:30:50,880 --> 01:31:03,120
them to focus on survival mode, purpose
mode, leadership mode. And then the last

1061
01:30:57,679 --> 01:31:09,600
thing um is a class called 3 seconds.
Um it took me 3 seconds to pull a gun

1062
01:31:06,320 --> 01:31:16,719
out that cost a man his life. We're
trying to get people to make better

1063
01:31:11,040 --> 01:31:23,440
decisions and widen that 3 seconds. Um
because the crime don't start the night

1064
01:31:19,520 --> 01:31:29,040
that it happens. It starts before that.
There's conditioning that goes into it.

1065
01:31:25,199 --> 01:31:32,760
It's ego. It's environment
which causes reaction.

1066
01:31:35,199 --> 01:31:41,960
And then the decision is predictable
but it's also preventable.

1067
01:31:45,120 --> 01:31:50,400
That's all I have for you guys this
morning. Thank you. Thank you for your

1068
01:31:48,239 --> 01:31:58,080
time. Thank you so much. Appreciate your
service. Uh this is uh the cover of my

1069
01:31:53,920 --> 01:32:02,000
new book which is titled What If? And
this is the framework to where we're

1070
01:31:59,840 --> 01:32:06,000
moving in 2026.
And on the cover, there's a man looking

1071
01:32:04,080 --> 01:32:12,480
in the mirror.
And in that mirror

1072
01:32:08,480 --> 01:32:17,520
there's a a chain with a bear trap
because

1073
01:32:14,159 --> 01:32:23,120
I believe there's a trap out there that
um as a as society we have become we

1074
01:32:21,440 --> 01:32:29,679
have become
um desensitized to violence

1075
01:32:26,719 --> 01:32:33,520
and
you know I'm trying to expose that trap.

1076
01:32:31,840 --> 01:32:42,159
I'm trying to get people to see that
trap before it bites you like it bit me.

1077
01:32:39,040 --> 01:32:46,000
Thank you. Thank you very much. Our
final presenter is Transformative

1078
01:32:43,760 --> 01:32:49,239
Solutions Network uh Chapel Services.
Good morning.

1079
01:32:55,840 --> 01:33:02,560
» Good morning.
>> You are an enduring group this morning.

1080
01:33:00,159 --> 01:33:06,000
Thank you so much. It's an honor to be
part of the treatment services at the

1081
01:33:04,159 --> 01:33:10,560
jail. My name is Michael Caler. I serve
as the CEO of Transformative Solutions

1082
01:33:08,000 --> 01:33:16,320
Network. We've been providing chapency
services within the jail for decades,

1083
01:33:13,360 --> 01:33:21,440
maybe the longest standing partner in
the group today. I'm just going to put

1084
01:33:18,800 --> 01:33:26,880
that out there. We're proud to be there.
Um, in the Burks County Jail, our

1085
01:33:24,320 --> 01:33:30,400
chaplain serve steadily, bringing
dignity dignity to everyone they

1086
01:33:28,960 --> 01:33:36,239
encounter. You could simply describe
chapency as a ministry of presence.

1087
01:33:33,760 --> 01:33:41,040
Uh we answer requests for religion-based
study materials, distribute thousands of

1088
01:33:38,320 --> 01:33:45,440
sacred tests each year, and maintain a
chapel library where the materials are

1089
01:33:43,120 --> 01:33:50,480
donated by the wider faith community so
men and women can practice uh the faith

1090
01:33:48,000 --> 01:33:54,239
that they profess.
Um

1091
01:33:52,239 --> 01:33:58,800
we do this in a number of ways. This is
done through communication forms. Um,

1092
01:33:56,880 --> 01:34:03,199
those that are incarcerated can also
visit uh the chapel library when they're

1093
01:34:01,440 --> 01:34:09,040
engaging other services within the
chapel and uh check out books. We're not

1094
01:34:07,280 --> 01:34:13,440
like a regular library. Well, the
regular libraries don't have late fees

1095
01:34:10,480 --> 01:34:16,320
anymore either. So, some of the books
don't get returned. Can you believe

1096
01:34:14,719 --> 01:34:20,000
that?
But we don't really worry about that.

1097
01:34:18,320 --> 01:34:24,639
We're glad that we can provide those
materials. I remember particularly

1098
01:34:22,239 --> 01:34:29,040
during COVID uh fulfilling written
request forms because the the movement

1099
01:34:26,880 --> 01:34:33,600
around the jail was was extremely
limited. Uh and those those forms served

1100
01:34:31,920 --> 01:34:38,639
as a lifeline. I remember looking at
forms uh and you know those that are in

1101
01:34:37,280 --> 01:34:43,280
jail they don't understand that our
library is not 200,000 volumes you know

1102
01:34:41,920 --> 01:34:47,760
so they're like hey do you have this
book or that book? And I remember

1103
01:34:45,360 --> 01:34:50,719
looking at the forms and being like okay
what book is similar to that? Cuz we

1104
01:34:49,520 --> 01:34:55,360
didn't have that one. And so we were
working hard to find something that was

1105
01:34:52,320 --> 01:34:59,600
similar to what they requested. And the
communications be forms become a

1106
01:34:57,760 --> 01:35:03,280
lifeline back and forth. They're
requesting something, we're fulfilling

1107
01:35:01,520 --> 01:35:06,960
it, but we can write a little note back
to them in that in that fulfillment just

1108
01:35:05,679 --> 01:35:12,000
saying, "Hey, we're thinking about you.
We're praying for you." So it was

1109
01:35:09,440 --> 01:35:17,440
awesome to serve in that capacity.
Um volunteers and staff minister in the

1110
01:35:15,280 --> 01:35:22,560
chapel as an open place of learning and
belonging. Uh major wor worship services

1111
01:35:20,239 --> 01:35:27,040
draw many attendees across traditions
and study groups fill the chapel with

1112
01:35:24,400 --> 01:35:31,199
conversation and reflection. The chapel
becomes a small community where faith is

1113
01:35:28,880 --> 01:35:36,960
lived and shared and where attendance
turns into connection.

1114
01:35:35,040 --> 01:35:42,239
There's a more personal side of chapency
as well. Weekly one-on-one visits uh

1115
01:35:39,840 --> 01:35:46,639
invite uh those incarcerated into
conversation about faith and wellness.

1116
01:35:44,800 --> 01:35:51,440
Many volunteers are part of this
one-on-one ministry that happens each

1117
01:35:48,480 --> 01:35:56,560
week. Chaplain also respond to hundreds
of individual requests to meet. These

1118
01:35:54,560 --> 01:36:01,280
private encounters provide restoration
through listening prayer and practical

1119
01:35:58,320 --> 01:36:04,560
support. And we're often referring those
in jail to other services that are

1120
01:36:02,960 --> 01:36:09,040
within the jail as well, encouraging
them participate in different things

1121
01:36:06,080 --> 01:36:14,400
that are happening for their benefit.
Um, when faith practice requires a

1122
01:36:12,080 --> 01:36:18,800
special diet or observance, our chaplain
coordinate with dietary staff to honor

1123
01:36:16,560 --> 01:36:23,440
these needs. Special meals for
observances like Ramadan and Passover

1124
01:36:21,120 --> 01:36:29,199
are arranged so spiritual practice is
respected. Uh, small accommodations like

1125
01:36:26,400 --> 01:36:34,320
these affirm identity and worth in
everyday routines.

1126
01:36:32,159 --> 01:36:39,840
Uh we can we coordinate a special gift
package for each inmate at Christmas

1127
01:36:36,400 --> 01:36:43,760
time in 2025. The gift pack included a
journal, crossword puzzles,

1128
01:36:41,600 --> 01:36:48,560
inspirational stories, and bookmarks
along with cookies and a card. This also

1129
01:36:46,560 --> 01:36:52,719
is kind of like a lifeline in that time.
You don't have the normaly of receiving

1130
01:36:50,480 --> 01:36:57,040
presents at this time of year. We're
happy to do something for them. These

1131
01:36:54,719 --> 01:37:03,840
items that are given are donated by area
churches and ministries. Our chaplain

1132
01:37:00,639 --> 01:37:08,000
also stand at the threshold of crisis.
As jail administration learns of the

1133
01:37:05,920 --> 01:37:13,520
death or hospitalization of close family
members, our chaplain deliver this news

1134
01:37:10,560 --> 01:37:17,520
of death or hospitalization with care.
They then walk alongside those

1135
01:37:15,520 --> 01:37:21,440
incarcerated through grief counseling
and referrals. They also build

1136
01:37:19,600 --> 01:37:25,920
meaningful relationships with jail
staff, offering support that strengthens

1137
01:37:23,840 --> 01:37:29,600
the whole community within the jail.
These connections help to create a

1138
01:37:27,840 --> 01:37:34,480
culture of compassion inside the
facility.

1139
01:37:32,159 --> 01:37:39,600
We're excited this year to launch a new
workshop called Embracing Resilience.

1140
01:37:37,440 --> 01:37:42,800
Our team at Transformative Solutions has
done much training over the last few

1141
01:37:41,280 --> 01:37:46,480
years in the area of trauma. You've
heard that mentioned a number of times

1142
01:37:44,320 --> 01:37:50,880
today. It's addressed in a variety of
ways. We're happy to be a partner in

1143
01:37:48,480 --> 01:37:54,400
that as well by providing this
interactive workshop again called

1144
01:37:52,639 --> 01:37:58,400
embracing resilience which brings
trauma-informed learning into small

1145
01:37:56,159 --> 01:38:03,040
groups teaching practical skills for
coping and connection. Our chaplain

1146
01:38:01,280 --> 01:38:08,400
along with a training team have received
trauma and resilience specialist

1147
01:38:05,119 --> 01:38:12,800
training. Um this program extends
chapy's mission from comfort to

1148
01:38:10,320 --> 01:38:16,639
empowerment helping participants
transform past wounds into sources of

1149
01:38:15,119 --> 01:38:20,480
strength.
Threearters of the first group of male

1150
01:38:18,480 --> 01:38:24,560
inmates showed an increase in
understanding triggers and responses

1151
01:38:22,480 --> 01:38:28,719
along with an increased understanding of
resilience after completing this

1152
01:38:26,880 --> 01:38:32,159
workshop.
Our goal is that the information and

1153
01:38:30,480 --> 01:38:35,840
skills learned in these three-part
workshops will help each participant

1154
01:38:34,159 --> 01:38:40,159
continue to grow in healing and
resilience. We start the first group

1155
01:38:38,400 --> 01:38:45,920
with the female population of the jail
tomorrow. Excited to do that.

1156
01:38:43,679 --> 01:38:51,440
In every visit, service and program,
chapency work insists on one simple

1157
01:38:48,480 --> 01:38:56,719
truth. Dignity is not earned by freedom
alone. It is restored by being seen,

1158
01:38:54,159 --> 01:39:01,199
heard, and treated as each one of us
would like to be treated. Thank you for

1159
01:38:58,800 --> 01:39:06,480
your time this morning.
>> Thank you very much. Appreciate that. Uh

1160
01:39:03,679 --> 01:39:09,760
thank you to our presenters and we hope
this information for the board as well

1161
01:39:08,080 --> 01:39:13,119
as the public has been wellreceived and
it gives you a better understanding of

1162
01:39:11,040 --> 01:39:17,760
the numerous providers and programs
provided in our criminal justice system

1163
01:39:14,800 --> 01:39:22,320
here in Burks County.
>> Okay, Kevin, thank you very much for uh

1164
01:39:20,000 --> 01:39:26,159
putting this together. Before I
continue, just want to let everyone know

1165
01:39:23,840 --> 01:39:30,400
that Judge Lash had to leave. He had a
uh court case that started at 10:00

1166
01:39:27,920 --> 01:39:33,840
a.m., so it was running late. he needed
uh to leave. But do want to take the

1167
01:39:32,159 --> 01:39:37,840
opportunity to thank all the presenters
here uh today, not just for being here

1168
01:39:36,400 --> 01:39:43,520
and presenting, but for the work that
you do day in and day out. I know most

1169
01:39:41,119 --> 01:39:49,119
of the presenters here and although I've
been involved with the uh jail board for

1170
01:39:46,239 --> 01:39:53,199
now, it's been seven, eight years now, I
wasn't aware of everything that is done

1171
01:39:51,280 --> 01:39:57,199
at the jail. You have to understand that
people that are sentenced to the Burks

1172
01:39:54,719 --> 01:40:03,040
County jail are going to be there for
maximum of up to 20 almost 24 months and

1173
01:40:01,119 --> 01:40:06,960
at some point uh they're going to come
back and probably live here in Burks

1174
01:40:04,880 --> 01:40:11,840
County. So at the jail we want to make
sure that we're providing services that

1175
01:40:08,880 --> 01:40:17,760
will allow them to be rehabilitated and
come out to be productive members of the

1176
01:40:13,840 --> 01:40:22,639
society here in Burke. Uh thank you to
the warden and the uh deputy warden for

1177
01:40:20,560 --> 01:40:26,560
the work that they do there at the jail
for the other organizations that are

1178
01:40:24,480 --> 01:40:30,800
partners uh that work with our inmates
at the jail for work with people that

1179
01:40:28,639 --> 01:40:36,639
come out of the jail as well. You all do
an amazing job. I've heard over and over

1180
01:40:33,360 --> 01:40:42,480
again from sitting in CJAB and other uh
judicial related boards how well it work

1181
01:40:40,400 --> 01:40:46,639
we work in Burks County how well we
partner, how much we care about the

1182
01:40:44,239 --> 01:40:52,080
people that are involved judicially here
in the county from the DA uh who's

1183
01:40:49,760 --> 01:40:59,920
always looking for ways uh for to
alternative sentencing to our judges. We

1184
01:40:54,800 --> 01:41:01,520
look at Judge Geiser who runs uh the uh
what's name of the court?

1185
01:41:00,880 --> 01:41:05,040
» Treatment court.
>> Treatment court.

1186
01:41:02,800 --> 01:41:09,920
» Runs the treatment court. Just a passion
with what with how she talks about what

1187
01:41:07,199 --> 01:41:13,360
she does and how she wishes that more uh
people would get involved in the

1188
01:41:11,360 --> 01:41:17,760
treatment court. And you see the passion
of everyone else here who was speaking

1189
01:41:15,280 --> 01:41:21,520
today on behalf of their organization
and that they want to help. It's not

1190
01:41:19,520 --> 01:41:25,760
just a job for them. They want to help.
They want to make sure that the people

1191
01:41:23,199 --> 01:41:30,639
that are in Burks County Jail come out
better and are able to be productive

1192
01:41:28,000 --> 01:41:34,880
members of our society. So, thank you to
everyone here. The time is moving. So, I

1193
01:41:33,280 --> 01:41:39,520
just want to ask you if there's any uh
board members that have brief comments

1194
01:41:37,040 --> 01:41:45,520
uh so we can continue with our agenda.
>> Sure. Um I have a few comments. uh

1195
01:41:43,360 --> 01:41:52,320
looking at the numbers uh that were
referenced uh going back to 2008, the

1196
01:41:48,880 --> 01:41:58,080
average daily population is much more
stark uh than looking at even the last

1197
01:41:55,199 --> 01:42:03,600
four years. And you just mentioned one
of the things I was going to mention, a

1198
01:42:00,960 --> 01:42:08,480
lot of credit goes to uh our treatment
courts for the work that they do, but I

1199
01:42:06,560 --> 01:42:13,840
will tell you also a lot of credit goes
to our district attorney. Uh in 2008, we

1200
01:42:12,080 --> 01:42:22,080
saw a fundamental change in the
philosophy of the way uh our district

1201
01:42:17,840 --> 01:42:29,840
attorney prosecuted. Uh and I I am I'm
I'm a fan of what you've done, of the

1202
01:42:26,239 --> 01:42:35,440
team that you have. Uh and and the
commitment you have to justice

1203
01:42:32,880 --> 01:42:42,480
and you're not soft on crime at the same
time. uh that has had a those two things

1204
01:42:39,760 --> 01:42:47,600
have had an enormous impact along with
the other areas that you've heard. Um

1205
01:42:45,679 --> 01:42:52,880
another thing that wasn't mentioned that
has had an enormous impact on the mental

1206
01:42:49,920 --> 01:42:57,199
health diversion is the stepping up
initiative. Several of the entities that

1207
01:42:55,360 --> 01:43:03,920
presented have been involved in that.
That's an initiative that was

1208
01:42:59,119 --> 01:43:08,800
established, I think, in 2013 or so uh
through the National Association of

1209
01:43:06,000 --> 01:43:14,000
Counties specifically targeting mental
health and jails. If it wasn't for that

1210
01:43:11,440 --> 01:43:21,760
program, our numbers which are running
around 60% of category C and D, which is

1211
01:43:18,159 --> 01:43:28,400
unacceptable still in my mind, uh those
numbers would be dramatically higher if

1212
01:43:24,560 --> 01:43:34,000
we were not actively involved uh in uh
that program. Uh the insurance issue

1213
01:43:31,440 --> 01:43:39,360
continues to be a challenge, but I think
it's so valuable that Prime Care pointed

1214
01:43:36,480 --> 01:43:44,880
out what they are doing to help us. What
most people don't know is the minute an

1215
01:43:41,920 --> 01:43:50,639
individual walks into the jail before
they're even uh prosecuted,

1216
01:43:48,400 --> 01:43:56,239
uh they lose, if they're a veteran, they
lose their veterans benefits. If they're

1217
01:43:52,880 --> 01:44:03,040
on Medicaid, they lose use of that
Medicaid or that Medicare or the private

1218
01:43:59,520 --> 01:44:09,920
insurance. They become wards of not the
state, wards of the county taxpayer. And

1219
01:44:07,119 --> 01:44:15,440
so when those numbers are shared, that
is a that's a huge factor, but it's also

1220
01:44:13,199 --> 01:44:20,000
something that needs to change at the
federal level. I don't see any

1221
01:44:17,520 --> 01:44:25,520
justification for a veteran losing their
veteran benefits uh because they've been

1222
01:44:22,400 --> 01:44:32,639
incarcerated or a person on Medicare or
Medicaid or who's on private insurance.

1223
01:44:28,719 --> 01:44:40,639
Why should the county taxpayer be forced
to pick uh that up? Uh the last thing

1224
01:44:36,080 --> 01:44:46,280
that I will come back to is the category
C and D. Uh I believe it's Tom.

1225
01:44:46,560 --> 01:44:55,199
» He nailed it on the head.
We have got to challenge the

1226
01:44:52,719 --> 01:45:02,480
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. And it's a
problem across the country. there was a

1227
01:44:57,920 --> 01:45:09,119
realization I think uh that the old
mental hospital system wasn't working

1228
01:45:06,880 --> 01:45:12,719
and so most of them were shut down
across the country and across

1229
01:45:11,119 --> 01:45:18,159
Pennsylvania
but no solution was offered in place of

1230
01:45:15,520 --> 01:45:22,560
that and the vast majority of
individuals and I'm not talking about

1231
01:45:20,560 --> 01:45:28,239
the individuals because this has been
going on over 50 years they the steady

1232
01:45:26,480 --> 01:45:33,360
closure,
but the people that need those services,

1233
01:45:31,360 --> 01:45:40,000
many of them are ending up in our jails
because there are lack still of services

1234
01:45:37,199 --> 01:45:45,520
in the community uh for mental health.
So, I I really appreciate I think this

1235
01:45:42,880 --> 01:45:51,920
is the this is the first time since I've
been here that we clearly delineated all

1236
01:45:50,080 --> 01:45:58,159
of the different things that we are
looking at. And if there's one takeaway,

1237
01:45:54,960 --> 01:46:05,280
it should be that we don't stay
stationary when it comes to dealing with

1238
01:46:03,280 --> 01:46:12,719
uh the needs of people who are
incarcerated in our system. We are

1239
01:46:08,159 --> 01:46:19,360
constantly looking for better ways to do
what needs to be done and that is to

1240
01:46:15,600 --> 01:46:24,800
help have less people come back into the
system. Uh, Connection Works did not

1241
01:46:22,000 --> 01:46:32,400
mention the R3 program, but I just
talked about that at a meeting yesterday

1242
01:46:28,560 --> 01:46:37,920
at the Reading uh, Yulenberg Career uh,
center. Uh, there was Representative

1243
01:46:35,199 --> 01:46:43,679
Manny Guzman had a number of uh, some
senators and House members there to talk

1244
01:46:40,800 --> 01:46:49,760
about Votech. I talked about the adult
population that's been going through the

1245
01:46:46,320 --> 01:46:56,639
R3 program with connections works since
I think 2018

1246
01:46:52,480 --> 01:47:03,199
17. Uh so there's a lot going on and I
really appreciate that.

1247
01:46:59,520 --> 01:47:09,920
And I what should I I'm supposed to be
down at BCTV in 10 minutes. What should

1248
01:47:06,639 --> 01:47:15,600
I do here? What's that? I'm looking at
my executive assistant.

1249
01:47:13,280 --> 01:47:21,440
» Should I go?
I don't know. What's that? You still

1250
01:47:18,880 --> 01:47:27,040
have a quorum? I'm going to do that. I
made a commitment. Some of you know

1251
01:47:22,880 --> 01:47:31,199
Sandy Graphius. Uh I am on her show. Uh
she's sitting down there and uh I don't

1252
01:47:29,840 --> 01:47:34,719
want to tick off Sandy Graas.
>> I I would give you some good advice.

1253
01:47:33,119 --> 01:47:38,159
Don't go because otherwise he'll she'll
call me to have you arrested.

1254
01:47:36,480 --> 01:47:41,760
» Oh, okay.
Don't let that

1255
01:47:39,040 --> 01:47:47,040
» So, moving along with the agenda, uh
have here uh before we started, Kevin

1256
01:47:44,000 --> 01:47:51,280
had asked about uh the interest of the
board of having this on the website. Is

1257
01:47:49,520 --> 01:47:55,600
there anyone that is opposed to having
this on our website so that it can be

1258
01:47:53,040 --> 01:47:58,159
viewed by others?
>> Okay. Thank you.

1259
01:47:56,800 --> 01:48:02,000
» Go ahead and do that. Thank you.
>> Appreciate that.

1260
01:47:59,199 --> 01:48:08,239
» Okay. We'll now move on to agenda items.
We will have our senior staff report

1261
01:48:06,800 --> 01:48:13,600
» today. Okay. The population at the jail
is 667. We have zero juveniles in our

1262
01:48:11,520 --> 01:48:17,760
custody right now being held anywhere.
Our average daily population for March

1263
01:48:15,679 --> 01:48:24,480
was 686.
Total commitments to date 853.

1264
01:48:21,199 --> 01:48:28,480
Total discharges 841.
We have 30 individuals sentenced to an

1265
01:48:26,239 --> 01:48:33,280
SCI. 14 of those are scheduled to be
transported between now and April 30th.

1266
01:48:31,360 --> 01:48:37,119
And we have 16 waiting a transport date
or pending other charges. Currently, we

1267
01:48:35,760 --> 01:48:41,760
have 36 individuals here with an
immigration detainer and seven of those

1268
01:48:40,000 --> 01:48:46,800
seven individuals were discharged to ICE
within the last 30 days. Just want to

1269
01:48:44,239 --> 01:48:50,239
remind the board that the first week in
May is National Correctional Officers

1270
01:48:48,560 --> 01:48:56,400
and Employees Week and we will be
holding a memorial service on May 8th uh

1271
01:48:52,480 --> 01:49:01,040
to honor all the staff. Any questions?
>> Okay. Thank you. Warden Deputy Warden of

1272
01:48:59,760 --> 01:49:05,360
Custody Report.
>> I'll be covering that in his absence. Uh

1273
01:49:03,280 --> 01:49:10,320
we currently have 18 correctional
officer vacancies and four sergeant

1274
01:49:07,760 --> 01:49:14,320
vacancies. I have six cadets in the
academy that started on February 25th.

1275
01:49:12,480 --> 01:49:19,679
They'll be graduating on or around May
21st. We held a CO testing on March

1276
01:49:17,520 --> 01:49:24,639
18th. I currently have 13 candidates in
the interview phase and we have another

1277
01:49:21,840 --> 01:49:29,199
CO testing scheduled for April 28th.
>> Okay. Deputy Warren of treatment.

1278
01:49:28,560 --> 01:49:32,400
» Morning.
>> Morning.

1279
01:49:30,639 --> 01:49:39,679
Um
we currently have 95 individuals in

1280
01:49:35,520 --> 01:49:47,119
custody who are a D roster. Um that
makes up 14% of our population. Um our

1281
01:49:43,119 --> 01:49:52,000
combined C and D roster is 64%.
Um regarding our trustee and work

1282
01:49:49,679 --> 01:49:56,159
release um individuals in the month of
March, we had 20 individuals who were

1283
01:49:54,560 --> 01:50:00,960
made eligible for work release on their
sentencing order. uh we had an average

1284
01:49:58,560 --> 01:50:07,600
trustee population of 22 and we had
eight individuals uh become trustee in

1285
01:50:04,080 --> 01:50:15,600
the month of March. Um regarding the pen
ID program uh we had 55 referrals to the

1286
01:50:11,040 --> 01:50:22,639
program in March we had 41 applications
processed. We received 12 products being

1287
01:50:18,960 --> 01:50:26,320
IDs or driver's licenses and we received
one voucher

1288
01:50:24,560 --> 01:50:31,440
uh for access to a product in the
community. Uh moving on to the Narstown

1289
01:50:29,440 --> 01:50:38,080
Wernernville State Hospital waiting
list. Uh we had one at the end of March,

1290
01:50:35,760 --> 01:50:43,360
as of March 31st, we had one individual
waiting for a bed at Narstown for

1291
01:50:40,880 --> 01:50:48,880
competency restoration. We had no one
waiting for um treatment at Narstown and

1292
01:50:47,119 --> 01:50:54,000
we still had one individual waiting for
a bed at Warersville.

1293
01:50:50,800 --> 01:50:58,000
Um regarding admissions, we had one
individual admitted to Narstown for

1294
01:50:56,400 --> 01:51:02,880
competency restoration. That person
waited 14 days for their bed. We had one

1295
01:51:00,639 --> 01:51:06,719
individual admitted to Narstown for
treatment. That individual waited 15

1296
01:51:05,040 --> 01:51:12,800
days for their bed. And we had no
admissions to Warersville. Our current

1297
01:51:09,199 --> 01:51:15,760
census at Narstown is 12. Uh nine
individuals are there for competency

1298
01:51:14,320 --> 01:51:18,880
restoration and three are there for
treatment.

1299
01:51:16,960 --> 01:51:24,080
» Any questions?
>> Okay. Thank you.

1300
01:51:22,320 --> 01:51:26,159
Now move on to deputy warden of
operations.

1301
01:51:25,199 --> 01:51:29,119
» Good morning.
>> Morning.

1302
01:51:27,040 --> 01:51:33,280
» A couple projects going on. Securas is
currently on site at the jail upgrading

1303
01:51:30,639 --> 01:51:37,920
security features. Uh Kelly Brothers is
in the process of replacing golf and

1304
01:51:35,119 --> 01:51:43,280
unit yard doors. Our transport vehicles
are being outfitted with uh video

1305
01:51:40,560 --> 01:51:46,239
monitoring and as the ward mentioned the
cadets they're in their seventh week of

1306
01:51:44,800 --> 01:51:51,360
training. Uh they are currently
reviewing direct supervision and with

1307
01:51:49,280 --> 01:51:56,719
the uh book vending machine to date
since it's unveiling has dispensed 278

1308
01:51:54,159 --> 01:52:02,639
books. That's all I have.
>> Okay. Thank you. Any questions from the

1309
01:51:59,440 --> 01:52:08,080
board? Okay. Move along to our
solicitor's report.

1310
01:52:05,920 --> 01:52:12,800
Do we need an executive session? No
executive session. Okay, we'll now move

1311
01:52:10,320 --> 01:52:19,360
on to comments from the prison board.
Any comments?

1312
01:52:15,520 --> 01:52:24,000
» Okay, we'll now move on to then uh the
public comment section. Do we have

1313
01:52:22,080 --> 01:52:30,800
anything online?
Nothing online. Uh we do have uh various

1314
01:52:28,159 --> 01:52:34,400
here in person. Remember for those
speaking please uh when you come up to

1315
01:52:32,560 --> 01:52:39,280
the podium give your full name your
municipality and you will have three

1316
01:52:36,560 --> 01:52:45,320
minutes to speak and Jesse will be
taking the the uh time. Okay. Crystal

1317
01:52:42,320 --> 01:52:45,320
Kowalsski.

1318
01:52:49,360 --> 01:52:53,520
» Good morning.
>> Morning

1319
01:52:51,119 --> 01:52:57,760
» Crystal Kowalsski by missing. I want to
congratulate you and thank you on the

1320
01:52:55,520 --> 01:53:01,679
program programming that you talked
about today. They're incredible choices

1321
01:52:59,840 --> 01:53:07,040
and they make huge difference and we
really appreciate it.

1322
01:53:04,639 --> 01:53:11,040
I'm here to talk about ICE detainers.
So, in February, I submitted a right to

1323
01:53:09,119 --> 01:53:15,520
know request asking for a list of the
names and charges of the people who had

1324
01:53:13,040 --> 01:53:20,880
been handed over to ICE and DHS in the
past year. My request was denied because

1325
01:53:18,159 --> 01:53:25,599
there is not an existing document. I
asked for this because it is information

1326
01:53:23,040 --> 01:53:30,560
that we should all have in front of us.
this document should exist.

1327
01:53:28,639 --> 01:53:35,040
When we as a county take someone into
custody, we are responsible for that

1328
01:53:32,560 --> 01:53:38,800
person. When they're handed over, we all
know where they're going, what kind of

1329
01:53:36,800 --> 01:53:43,360
treatment they're likely to receive, and
that the final outcome will probably be

1330
01:53:41,119 --> 01:53:48,639
that they are deported to either the
country that they fled from or now

1331
01:53:45,440 --> 01:53:53,360
possibly a third country.
Using the jailboard minutes, I have

1332
01:53:50,719 --> 01:53:59,280
counted that 75 people have been handed
over in the past year.

1333
01:53:56,080 --> 01:54:04,320
This is a choice. Every single person,
every single time is a choice to hand

1334
01:54:01,760 --> 01:54:09,119
that person over. I am asking you to
stop choosing to contact ICE. I'm asking

1335
01:54:06,960 --> 01:54:14,080
you to stop holding people past their
legal release date and time. And I'm

1336
01:54:11,760 --> 01:54:19,440
asking please do not hand another person
over. Thank you.

1337
01:54:17,040 --> 01:54:22,920
» Hey, thank you, Crystal. Uh, next is
Jane Palmer.

1338
01:54:25,760 --> 01:54:32,719
Good morning and thank you um what
Crystal said, we appreciate what you're

1339
01:54:30,880 --> 01:54:37,760
doing. My name is Jane Palmer. I live in
Y missing.

1340
01:54:35,040 --> 01:54:44,320
Um we just heard from Warden Smith that
um seven people were um released to ICE

1341
01:54:42,480 --> 01:54:50,400
in the past month. That makes it a total
of 75 this year. In roughly the same

1342
01:54:47,440 --> 01:54:56,000
time period, 46 people have died in ICE
custody. Um my question is are you

1343
01:54:53,599 --> 01:55:01,520
comfortable with the fact that you have
no idea what might happen to those 75

1344
01:54:58,880 --> 01:55:06,400
people? They are wards of the country of
the county and then you let them go. You

1345
01:55:04,400 --> 01:55:11,520
hand them over to an agency that is
amply demonstrated that it operates

1346
01:55:08,800 --> 01:55:16,400
outside of the law. Those people can be
detained indefinitely, deported back to

1347
01:55:14,400 --> 01:55:21,920
their home country, or to somewhere
entirely different, such as Honduras, El

1348
01:55:18,560 --> 01:55:27,040
Salvador, Congo, South Sudan, and lots
of other countries we know are unstable.

1349
01:55:25,280 --> 01:55:31,920
By cooperating with ICE, you're
knowingly putting these people in harm's

1350
01:55:28,960 --> 01:55:37,679
way, denying access to their loved ones
and to legal representation and exposing

1351
01:55:34,960 --> 01:55:43,920
them to overcrowding, mental neglect,
malnutrition, emotional distress,

1352
01:55:40,880 --> 01:55:48,960
and possible death. I ask you
respectively, please do not ask people

1353
01:55:46,639 --> 01:55:53,920
you arrest about their citizenship or
place of birth. Do not contact ICE when

1354
01:55:51,760 --> 01:56:00,480
you have them. Do not honor ICE
detainers and do not people turn people

1355
01:55:57,280 --> 01:56:06,040
over to ICE. Thank you.
>> Thank you, Jane. Uh Lisa Gallagher,

1356
01:56:09,119 --> 01:56:16,080
» morning Gallagher. Um I'm from Spring
Township and I just want to say to begin

1357
01:56:14,080 --> 01:56:21,360
with, I learned so much today. Thank
you. and the book vending as a former

1358
01:56:19,040 --> 01:56:25,760
first grade teacher like my heart is
happy to hear that. Um I'm speaking

1359
01:56:24,080 --> 01:56:33,040
because I have questions about the
financial aspects of the ICE detainer um

1360
01:56:28,880 --> 01:56:37,440
from a July 24th 2025 article um by
Gabriella Martinez. It's listing how

1361
01:56:35,280 --> 01:56:44,880
Burks County is using detainers at the
prison and that DA Adams was informed

1362
01:56:40,960 --> 01:56:48,880
that the county could lose $290,000 of
FEMA funding if the county did not

1363
01:56:47,040 --> 01:56:55,679
comply at that time to share inmate
status and detaining them 48 hours to 72

1364
01:56:53,360 --> 01:57:02,639
hours beyond their scheduled release,
even when they post bail or

1365
01:56:59,679 --> 01:57:06,800
um their charges were resolved. So, I
have issues with all of that, especially

1366
01:57:05,199 --> 01:57:11,840
remembering that a charge is not a
conviction. Due process is still a

1367
01:57:08,719 --> 01:57:16,000
thing. Um, but my question today is
who's paying for the additional days of

1368
01:57:14,000 --> 01:57:22,159
detainment between their scheduled
release and when ICE takes custody? Um,

1369
01:57:19,119 --> 01:57:26,880
from 24 to 48, even up to 72 hours,
especially because weekends don't count

1370
01:57:23,760 --> 01:57:31,599
in that time period. Are the taxpayers
paying that? Are we paying more? Um, is

1371
01:57:29,679 --> 01:57:36,560
the county losing money or is the county
getting money? I I'm I'm not sure. Um,

1372
01:57:35,040 --> 01:57:40,800
and also thinking about that, taking
into account the extra staffing,

1373
01:57:38,159 --> 01:57:48,080
manpower, clerical time, and money that
that requires. So, I have financial

1374
01:57:45,520 --> 01:57:54,000
questions also. And in closing, I just
respectfully urge you to just end this

1375
01:57:50,639 --> 01:57:59,199
process of contacting ICE voluntarily,
especially because of the situation that

1376
01:57:56,320 --> 01:58:04,159
we're seeing now with the way ICE is
being um conducting their business. I

1377
01:58:02,320 --> 01:58:09,040
personally don't want my tax money used
to detain people past their release date

1378
01:58:06,960 --> 01:58:17,520
when they should be able to go free like
anyone else. Um, immigration is not a

1379
01:58:13,520 --> 01:58:22,880
criminal charge.
Thank you.

1380
01:58:19,840 --> 01:58:26,599
» Okay. Thank you, Lisa. We'll now move on
to Colin Underwood.

1381
01:58:30,480 --> 01:58:33,679
» Morning.
>> Morning.

1382
01:58:31,840 --> 01:58:39,440
» My name is Colin Underwood. I live in
Fleetwood. A lifelong Burks County

1383
01:58:36,000 --> 01:58:43,360
resident. Uh having grown up in Blandon,
moving to Laurddale, Reading, and then

1384
01:58:41,920 --> 01:58:48,880
eventually Fleet with my wife and two
kids. Um, I am a very big proponent of

1385
01:58:46,800 --> 01:58:55,679
community. I'm afraid the involvement
with ICE is disrupting our community's

1386
01:58:52,480 --> 01:58:59,599
um, co coercion, if you could say that.
Um, people are worried to report crimes

1387
01:58:58,480 --> 01:59:04,320
because they're worried that ICE
involvement will wrongfully detain

1388
01:59:02,400 --> 01:59:08,560
American citizens. We have very large
Puerto Rican population. Those are

1389
01:59:05,679 --> 01:59:13,520
citizens. I am asking you to please urge
the end urge the uh practice of

1390
01:59:10,960 --> 01:59:18,239
cooperating with ICE voluntarily.
I'm asking you to not use my do tax

1391
01:59:15,520 --> 01:59:21,520
dollars to hold people 48 hours 72 hours
past the release date so ICE can pick

1392
01:59:19,840 --> 01:59:29,320
them up on the detainer. Thank you very
much.

1393
01:59:22,719 --> 01:59:29,320
» Okay. Thank you, Colin. Uh Erica Zeller.

1394
01:59:30,400 --> 01:59:35,880
Okay, so Eric. All right. Uh Kristen
Park.

1395
01:59:37,760 --> 01:59:43,760
Okay. All right. So, that ends the
in-person comments. Uh, do we have

1396
01:59:42,719 --> 01:59:47,719
anything online?
>> Yeah.

1397
01:59:44,719 --> 01:59:47,719
» Okay.

1398
01:59:56,159 --> 02:00:01,480
Is there a reason you didn't sign in
when you arrived or?

1399
02:00:03,040 --> 02:00:11,280
Okay. So, allow at this time. Uh, but
I'll just need you to sign in here uh

1400
02:00:07,679 --> 02:00:15,560
when you finish. Okay. Right. Uh, full
name and municipality, please.

1401
02:00:16,880 --> 02:00:26,639
» So, my full name is Andrea Campbell. I'm
from uh Boyertown, Douglas Township. Um,

1402
02:00:23,280 --> 02:00:30,719
I'm here today to speak and advocate for
those who don't have the same privilege

1403
02:00:28,400 --> 02:00:35,840
as I do to walk in here and speak
openly. So, I'm here to advocate and

1404
02:00:33,199 --> 02:00:43,280
speak for them. This is clearly not the
ICE of the past. In order to meet their

1405
02:00:38,800 --> 02:00:48,320
3,000 per day uh quota, they are
targeting people based on solely on

1406
02:00:46,159 --> 02:00:54,480
their appearance or their spoken
language. Um and I'm here to ask, are

1407
02:00:50,880 --> 02:01:01,679
you comfortable with people within our
county um persons that don't look like

1408
02:00:58,239 --> 02:01:04,679
white Americans um being treated like
suspects?

1409
02:01:04,960 --> 02:01:14,960
I respectfully urge you to end the
practice of contacting ICE voluntarily.

1410
02:01:11,199 --> 02:01:18,960
Stop respecting um the ICE detainers and
refrain from using our county resources

1411
02:01:17,440 --> 02:01:24,480
for
federal immigration enforcement. It is

1412
02:01:21,760 --> 02:01:28,719
not too late to do the right thing.
Thank you for listening.

1413
02:01:26,080 --> 02:01:31,719
» Thank you, Andrea. Now move to online
comments.

1414
02:01:37,119 --> 02:01:44,000
There's one online comment. Um, my name
is Craig Schaefer and I am a resident of

1415
02:01:41,679 --> 02:01:48,480
Kumra Township. I am present today
because I am a white male. My Latino

1416
02:01:46,800 --> 02:01:53,440
friends and family members are too
scared to participate in community

1417
02:01:50,719 --> 02:01:58,159
events right now. I'm here to express my
strong objection to the Burks County

1418
02:01:55,440 --> 02:02:03,360
Sheriff's Office and prison executing
detainers for ICE. Participation in

1419
02:02:00,880 --> 02:02:08,159
federal immigration enforcement is not
the job of Burks County law enforcement

1420
02:02:05,280 --> 02:02:13,360
or our p prison system. It should not be
what our Burks County tax dollars are

1421
02:02:10,480 --> 02:02:19,119
spent on. Additionally, detainer
databases are outdated, causing

1422
02:02:16,000 --> 02:02:25,159
unconstitutional detention violations
that are not properly tracked. ICE is

1423
02:02:21,920 --> 02:02:25,159
not transparent.

1424
02:02:26,400 --> 02:02:34,800
ICE is not is also certainly not
accountable. This lack of accountability

1425
02:02:32,000 --> 02:02:39,920
and transparency will open Burks County
to lawsuits against ICE

1426
02:02:37,760 --> 02:02:44,639
and the sheriff's office causing more
financial consequences caused by

1427
02:02:42,080 --> 02:02:49,679
unlawful actions. I ask you to stop
using county resources to cooperate with

1428
02:02:46,880 --> 02:02:54,239
ICE. I do not want my tax dollars spent
on detaining people past the release

1429
02:02:51,840 --> 02:02:57,920
date. I want my family and friends to
believe in our government, our

1430
02:02:55,760 --> 02:03:02,480
community, and our representatives.
Again, please do not please do the right

1431
02:03:00,400 --> 02:03:06,239
thing and stop contacting ICE
voluntarily.

1432
02:03:05,360 --> 02:03:10,080
» It's the end.
>> That it Okay, that concludes the P.

1433
02:03:08,800 --> 02:03:14,280
» Wait a minute. There's one more that's
not popping up for me. Wait a minute.

1434
02:03:17,360 --> 02:03:26,880
There it is. Um, last one. I'm sorry
these don't pop up automatically. My

1435
02:03:22,880 --> 02:03:31,440
name is um, Jenna Dumbarrowski and I am
a resident of Long Swap Township. As was

1436
02:03:29,440 --> 02:03:35,920
stated earlier today, these those
incarcerated are wards of the taxpayers

1437
02:03:33,520 --> 02:03:40,560
of Burks County. regardless of their
citizenship status. It is the

1438
02:03:38,560 --> 02:03:45,040
responsibility of the county to to
uphold their constitutional rights and

1439
02:03:42,880 --> 02:03:49,920
cannot and should not hold people past
their release date. As my neighbors have

1440
02:03:47,520 --> 02:03:54,639
stated, we do not want our tax money to
go toward handing our immigrant

1441
02:03:52,719 --> 02:03:57,119
neighbors over to ICE and potentially
their death.

1442
02:03:56,800 --> 02:04:01,119
» Okay,
>> I think that's it.

1443
02:03:58,880 --> 02:04:05,679
» Okay, that will uh close the public
comment period for the meeting. Are

1444
02:04:03,679 --> 02:04:08,960
there any comments from the members of
the board?

1445
02:04:08,239 --> 02:04:14,560
» No.
>> Okay. If we have uh no comments, that

1446
02:04:12,239 --> 02:04:18,159
concludes our agenda.
>> I'll make a motion.

1447
02:04:16,080 --> 02:04:23,080
» I'll second it.
>> The meeting is adjourned. Thank you very

1448
02:04:20,080 --> 02:04:23,080
much.