Centre County Prison Board Advances Rec Proposal

This story originally appeared in The Centre County Gazette.

BENNER TOWNSHIP — The Centre County Prison Board on Dec. 11 advanced a long-debated outdoor recreation proposal to the Centre County Commissioners. At the same meeting, the board took no immediate action on a proposal to limit public access to meetings via Zoom.

Regarding the long-running outdoor recreation issue, the board voted to forward the full recreation study, all options and the facility’s written recommendations to the commissioners for consideration. Officials emphasized the prison board is a recommending body, and final decisions on facilities rest with commissioners.

Several advocates again stressed the importance of outdoor access, with one resident relaying a physician’s concern that a lack of time outside runs counter to basic health needs.

At the beginning of the meeting, a staff member of the Centre County Correctional Facility opened public comment by responding to criticism raised at last month’s meeting about a supposed “core group” that makes the facility unwelcoming.

“The offensive slander statement that was made last month is a sign of ignorance,” the staff member stated, noting that officers can face assaults and even having feces thrown on them. “It’s not the most glamorous job,” he said.

Also during public comment, former inmate Herman Johnson offered a perspective of gratitude. Johnson said he graduated from the Compass program, worked in the kitchen and went through work release, which helped him move from “being a really good paralegal to… flipping burgers at McDonald’s” so he could pay fines and regain stability.

“For me to take off work to join this meeting… they made a big impact in my life,” Johnson said, praising staff, CentrePeace and jail programs.

In his report, Irwin said two participants in the Incarcerated Youth Program recently earned their GED diplomas. He also highlighted holiday activities, including cookie and card decorating and Christmas bags with hygiene items and writing supplies.

The average daily population in Nov. was 149, including 120 Centre County inmates and 29 from other counties. The Medication-Assisted Treatment program served 40 participants, with three new inductions in Nov., while mental health staff logged 175 clinician visits and 40 psychiatric visits. Sixty-eight individuals were on psychotropic medications.

In other business, the board also approved its 2026 meeting schedule, but tabled a proposal that would limit Zoom access to board members only, with meetings still recorded and posted online afterward. The meetings would remain open to the public to attend in person.

Multiple residents speaking via Zoom objected, arguing that removing live virtual access would reduce transparency and effectively shut out people who work, live farther away or have caregiving responsibilities.