Pa. prison population falls to lowest point in 20 years

Pennsylvania’s prisons are getting a little less crowded.

Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration said Thursday the state’s prison population has dropped to 36,743, the lowest level since 2001. By comparison, the prison population surpassed 51,000 in 2011, according to data from the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections.

The prison population has dropped by more than 8,300 since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. Some advocacy groups, including the Pennsylvania Prison Society, have implored the corrections department to release non-violent offenders to reduce their risk of contracting the coronavirus. Thousands of prisoners have contracted the virus in state prisons, department figures show.

Even before the pandemic, Wolf has been working to reduce the number of inmates in state prisons. Prison advocates have said keeping low-risk offenders behind bars for years only makes it harder for them to build new lives when they’re released.

“My administration has taken a comprehensive approach to reducing the prison population, with an emphasis on rehabilitation for men and women who are incarcerated and opportunities after incarceration, and I’m proud of our successful efforts while ensuring public safety,” Wolf said in a statement.

As Wolf and some prison reform advocates have noted, most state prison inmates are eventually going to get out.

“Most individuals who are incarcerated will be released at some point, so investing in resources and creating good policies ensures lower incarceration rates, a reduction in recidivism, and a better, more productive quality of life for re-entrants,” Wolf said.

Both Democratic and Republican lawmakers have increasingly come together on criminal justice reform, including reducing the state prison population. Part of the shift came due to the rising cost to taxpayers of housing more people behind bars. The state budget directs more than $2 billion to the state prison system.

Acting Corrections Secretary George Little pointed to that growing bipartisan support in making a difference in allowing the corrections department “to work toward decarceration.”

“Reducing the number of incarcerated individuals allows the DOC to focus on providing much needed mental health, drug treatment, and other services to the remaining incarcerated population,” Little said in a statement.

Along those lines, the governor and some lawmakers have also pushed for reforming the state’s probation system. Critics say offenders are spending far too long on probation, running the risk of violations that can put them back behind bars and making it harder for them to get a fresh start.

Last month, Wolf ordered some state prison employees to get the COVID-19 vaccines or submit to regular testing. The union representing the state’s corrections officers has filed a suit to block the administration’s order. Earlier this year, the union also blasted Wolf when he didn’t give corrections officers higher priority in getting the vaccines.

Wolf signed the “Clean Slate” law which seals criminal records for those who committed low-level offenses and have stayed out of trouble for a period of years. Supporters of the law said it helps former offenders get jobs and get a fresh start.

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