SUNBURY - In an effort to help inmates rehabilitate from drug and alcohol problems, Northumberland County Prison is making available a rigorous 14-month rehab program coordinated by an international, faith-based organization.
District Attorney Tony Rosini informed fellow county prison board members Wednesday that Teen Challenge in Rehrersburg, Berks County, will include county inmates in its structured rehabilitation program if they qualify. He said Teen Challenge representatives will visit the prison to interview inmates and prison officials to determine eligibility for the program.
Rosini said the program will be open to other eligible residents in the county suffering from drug or alcohol addiction.
"They teach people how to live sober and drug-free lives," Rosini said. "It's an excellent, long-term rehab program that is open to anyone suffering from drug and alcohol problems. People enrolled in the program learn job skills and get an education, while being provided room and board."
Rosini said the cost to enroll in the program is $750.
The district attorney said Northumberland County Court officials have agreed to include the rehabilitation program as an option when sentencing defendants. "Sentences could be modified to get defendants into the program for proper treatment," he said.
For more information about the rehabilitation program, call Teen Challenge at 717-933-4181 or log onto its website: www.teenchallengetc.org.
In other business, Commissioner Frank Sawicki, who serves as prison board chairman, said the county has implemented inmate medical provisions in accordance with Act 22 that changes the billing rates paid by county prisons for inmates treated at hospitals.
Sawicki said, "The purpose of Act 22 is to control medical costs for inmates treated at hospitals."
Warden Roy Johnson added, "This new procedure will pretty much standardize everything when it comes to hospital rates for treating our inmates. It's not mandatory for all county prisons in the state to implement the same provisions as we did, but it will be beneficial to us."
Johnson said the Sept. 8 evacuation of the prison went very smoothly and took only approximately 90 minutes. He said approximately 210 inmates were transferred by buses to state prisons because of the potential for flooding of the Susquehanna River.
Fortunately, the water receded and the lower levels of the prison didn't experience any water damage, Johnson said.
The inmates returned to the prison Saturday.
The warden commended prison staff, Northumberland County Sheriff Chad Reiner and his employees, and other agencies for their assistance in relocating the inmates.
The current prison population is 223, including 191 males and 32 females.