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| Bucks County Ordered to Form Prison Panel |
| By Allentown Morning Call |
| Published: 07/17/2002 |
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Bucks County commissioners will lose some of their authority over the prison within 30 days under a federal court order that directs the commissioners to impanel a new prison oversight board. Establishment of the board had been demanded in a class-action lawsuit filed by female inmates. U.S. Magistrate Diane Devlin Welsh issued her ruling last week creating the Bucks County Prison Oversight Board. Walsh ordered the commissioners to appoint county officials to the board as well as three members of the public. Commissioner Michael G. Fitzpatrick said it is unlikely the commissioners will appeal the order. Since 1993, when Bucks' population growth enabled it to get status under state law as a second-class county, the three commissioners have been responsible for operating the prison. In previous years, under laws covering third-class counties, the Bucks County Prison Board held that responsibility. The prison board was composed of the commissioners, as well as the sheriff, controller, district attorney and president judge. After the county's status was upgraded, those officials became members of a prison advisory board. As its name suggests, the advisory board had no authority over the prison and met infrequently. During the past two years, the prison has been at the center of scandals and criminal probes. Investigating agencies uncovered a drug ring operating in the prison, a black market cigarette smuggling business and an inmate running a credit card scam on prison telephones. Also, four prison employees were convicted in the sexual assaults on women inmates. Women inmates at the prison filed the lawsuit, demanding separate facilities for mentally ill women inmates as well as other changes in prison policy. Under the court order, the oversight board will be responsible for the maintenance of the maximum-security prison and its two minimum-security centers, as well as the health and safety of inmates. |
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