MORE WOMEN IN JAIL
Number of female inmates hits record; officials trying to find out why
BERKS COUNTY, PA >> The number of women housed in Berks County Prison reached a historical high this month.
Warden Janine L. Quigley delivered that news to members of the prison board at their monthly meeting Wednesday, explaining that administrators at the facility were forced this month to move female inmates into a larger unit that has traditionally housed male inmates.
Quigley said the move has helped mitigate the overcrowding issue, for now. But, she warned,
“We’re still mulling through the reports to find a cause for the spike, but nothing stands out at this point. We’re going to take a detailed look at the issue and see if we can figure out what might be causing it.”
— Warden Janine L. Quigley
the temporary spike in female inmates over the past four weeks may be just the beginning of a more permanent problem.
“We’ve had this happen before where we’ve had these spikes and it would gradually come down,” she told the board. “This latest increase has been sustained throughout July, and so when we reached 168 female inmates it was time to move because we were being forced to set up cots in the open areas.”
Quigley said that as of Wednesday the daily female population has decreased
slightly to 153 — making up nearly 15 percent of the total population at the prison.
The female inmate population in recent years has been in the neighborhood of 120.
“We’re still mulling through the reports to find a cause for the spike, but nothing stands out at this point,” she said. “We’re going to take a detailed look at the issue and see if we can figure out what might be causing it.”
It’s unclear if it’s all due to arrests or if there are parole and probation violations, as well.
She credited the recent work of District Attorney John T. Adams and Chief Public Defender Glenn D. Welsh as well as officials from the adult probation office to review cases that could be expedited to help alleviate overcrowding.
In the meantime, Quigley said she has reached out to several counties to see if there is space in those prisons to house women if the trend continues. She said Centre and Lehigh counties have provided sample contracts that would outline the details of such an arrangement but explained that the papers are still being reviewed.
Commissioner Kevin S. Barnhardt said the issue is something county officials need to address as they discuss the design of a new prison. He suggested that they consider constructing a unit that would suit the
needs of male and female inmates.
Commissioners Chairman Christian Y. Leinbach added that the trend is not unique to Berks County.
“Over the last several years, there’s been a continued steady increase in the incarcerated female population across the country,” he said. “I don’t know if there is a statistical analysis of what might be behind that trend but it is definitely a problem.”
In 2016, the Vera Institute of Justice released a report that found that the number of women in local prisons in the United States was almost 14 times what it was in the 1970s — a far higher growth rate than for men, although
there are still far fewer women than men in prisons. The study found that the number of women held in the nation’s 3,200 municipal and county prisons for misdemeanor crimes or who are awaiting trial or sentencing had increased to about 110,000 in 2014 from fewer than 8,000 in 1970.
The report found that most have been charged with low-level offenses like drug or property crimes, but a growing number are in jail for violating parole or probation, for failed drug tests or for missing court-ordered appointments. Others are unable to make bail or pay court fees and fines, the report said.
“Over the last several years, there’s been a continued steady increase in the incarcerated female population across the country. I don’t know if there is a statistical analysis of what might be behind that trend but it is definitely a problem.”
— Commissioners Chairman Christian Y. Leinbach