HARRISBURG – In order to provide for community safety and improve working conditions for county corrections officers, several PA House members announced they will soon introduce legislation to upgrade county jail security, bolster staffing, and improve county jail infrastructure across the state. The legislative package will provide funding to upgrade security and health infrastructure – including heating and air conditioning of county jails; bolster staff by allowing county jails to hire other county corrections officers or state corrections officers to fill vacant shifts; and eliminate parole opportunities for inmates who escape county jails or attempt escape. Other bills would require the PA Department of Corrections to conduct a security audit of county jails that have experienced a jail escape and create an alert system to be activated in the event of a prison escape.
