For one segment of the population, being a prison inmate may become even more difficult when the county's new correctional facility opens.
Smoking will be no more, the warden announced. Chester County Prison last week signed a nearly-$2.5 million health-care contract that specifically notes the assistance of the provider, PrimeCare Medical, in making the institution a nonsmoking environment.
"My desire is, when we move into the new facility, for it to become smoke-free," Warden D. Edward McFadden said. "I'm putting the word out now."
McFadden acknowledged that the transition will be difficult, not only for the inmates but for his staff as well. The warden estimates that at least half the prison population, as well as at least half of his staff, are current smokers.
With the transition to a smoke-free environment, he said, security concerns can arise as well. The warden said he had consulted with PrimeCare as well as with the Chester County Health Department and the prison's commissary supplier about the idea.
He wants to phase in the plan so that when the move takes place -- most likely by May or June -- the new rules can be followed.
Exactly what kind of assistance PrimeCare will provide -- with possibilities ranging from counseling to nicotine-replacement therapy -- has not yet been decided.
Prison officials will identify inmates who are smokers, and attempt to separate them from nonsmokers, when they are brought into the prison system. Separation cannot be guaranteed, however, because of overcrowding at the current facility.
Chester County follows a long line of correctional institutions which have already gone smoke-free.
McFadden was officially named to the top post in April. He replaced former warden John Masters, who retired in September 2004 after an audit that revealed controversial administrative practices. The prison's $2,496,433 contract with PrimeCare, which extends the current agreement through September 2006, also includes an addendum about mental health and substance abuse services.
According to the contract, PrimeCare will "undertake all necessary measures to identify, monitor and provide treatment to those inmates who require such medical assistance to assure that their competency to stand trial and otherwise participate in any subsequent legal proceedings is not diminished."
PrimeCare has been the prison's health-care provider for eight years, the warden said. The prison will have the option next September to sign for another one-year extension.