BELLEFONTE — The Centre County Correctional Facility Prison Board on Thursday, May 14, recognized corrections staff during National Corrections Week while also discussing policy updates tied to inmate communications and a recent court ruling regarding booking photos.
During his report, Centre County Correctional Facility Warden Glen Irwin thanked corrections officers and staff for their work inside the jail, calling them “unseen, at times uncelebrated, but yet very essential.”
“I mean, they are unseen, at times uncelebrated, but yet very essential,” Irwin said while recognizing staff members nominated by their peers for annual awards.
Among those honored were Officer George Murphy, Officer Cameron Geisinger, Officer Cody McMahon, Director Jeff Height and Record Specialist Kelly Allen. Irwin also recognized Officer Danielle Eckenrode for responding to a choking emergency involving an inmate on May 6.
“In a situation where every second mattered, your ability to remain calm and take decisive action was truly exemplary,” Irwin read from a formal commendation letter. He said Eckenrode’s actions “undoubtedly played vital roles in ensuring a positive outcome.”
Irwin also shared a letter written by a recently released inmate thanking staff members at the facility for their “patience, kindness and consistency.”
“All your hard work, your caring about your jobs, your consistency, along with your crazy humor and discipline brought me to the peace I needed so badly,” Irwin read from the letter. The inmate also credited staff with helping her reconnect with her faith and rethink her life choices surrounding drug use.
The prison population as of midnight Wednesday, May 13, stood at 135 incarcerated individuals, including 98 from Centre County and 33 from other counties. Irwin said the average daily Centre County inmate population in April was 99.
County Commissioner Mark Higgins noted the significance of the lower inmate count compared to previous years.
“I do not remember seeing an average inmate count below 100,” Higgins said. “This is tremendous.”
Irwin reported that methamphetamine remained the most common substance among inmates detoxing upon commitment during April with seven cases. The facility reported no opioid detoxifications during the month.
The board also approved updates to two facility policies.
One change removes language allowing the correctional facility to release booking photos to news agencies following a Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling issued last year.
“This change brings us in compliance with the Supreme Court ruling that prohibits correctional facilities from releasing booking photos,” Irwin said.
Irwin clarified that law enforcement agencies, district attorneys and sheriff’s offices may still release those photographs, but correctional facilities may not.
The second policy update involved inmate electronic tablets and pricing changes tied to a new communications contractor and updated Federal Communications Commission guidelines.
Irwin said every inmate receives a tablet after classification, typically within 24 to 48 hours of entering the facility. Educational programming, orientation materials, law library access and some entertainment options are available free of charge, while movies and certain communication services require payment.
“There’s no charge to actually have the tablet,” Irwin said.
Barbara Squires of CentrePeace also provided a reentry update, saying the organization provided four rides home from the jail during April, distributed two backpacks and two cell phones to released individuals and continued reentry programming at the facility.
“We continue being happy that we’re able to provide that service,” Squires said.
