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| Somerset lockup earns 100% score |
| By Mike Faher - The Tribune-Democrat |
| Published: 03/04/2009 |
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SOMERSET, PA — If the staff at the county lockup received report cards, they would be glad to take this one home. The jail achieved 100-percent compliance on its most recent state inspection, a first-time achievement as far as anyone can remember. It is a big step forward for the formerly troubled facility, which officials have worked for years to improve. “It has come a long way in the last few years, and that’s something I’m personally proud of,” Warden Tom Perrin said. The jail’s problems have been well-documented. Originally built for 47 inmates, the census had swollen to the 140 mark in the early 2000s. Officials feared that the dense population could spur further problems. The situation came to a head in 2004, when a state inspection produced a 52-percent compliance rate – the lowest score among all county jails statewide. A year later, the jail was embroiled in an inmate-abuse scandal that made headlines. But change has come relatively quickly at the East Fairview Street facility. Inspection scores have steadily improved, thanks to a variety of improvements enacted by county officials. “We invested time and money and assets in the jail to really make it a great facility,” county Commissioner Jim Marker said. The county hired more staff and implemented some physical changes including a new lock system, new ceilings in cells and upgraded cameras. “We’ve got a brand-new, state-of-the-art surveillance system,” Perrin said. The jail also has relatively new leadership in Perrin, who was named warden in November 2006, and Deputy Warden Adele Bauer. But some of the biggest changes may have happened outside the lockup’s walls. While the county’s criminal caseload remains high, officials have focused their attention on who is occupying the jail and why they are there. Read more. If link has expired, check the website of the article's original news source. |
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