The Clarion County Jail ended 2022 under budget due, in part, to programs initiated by the court system.
One of those programs is the Intermediate Punishment Program designed for qualified individuals who have been convicted of lesser misdemeanor crimes to avoid jail time.
There are 85 people currently in the program with three more on work release and another 23 on house arrest.
Hornberger said there were 534 inmates at the jail in 2022 and the average length of stay was 47.4 days. The average daily population in 2022 was 69 inmates, an increase of 12 inmates per day from 2021.
The peak jail population was 113 in 2016.
The jail is the most expensive item in the county budget as the daily cost of housing an inmate is $92.71 and the cost of each inmate meal was $2. There were 85,410 meals served in 2022.
Hornberger said that although the budget was below estimates overall, several line items were higher. Gasoline was $547 over budget due to trips to Pittsburgh made by correction officers traveling to Pittsburgh when an inmate was hospitalized.
The same situation caused the jail’s medical expenses to exceed the budget by $9,892. Hornberger said that without insurance the medical expense to the county would have been $600,000.
There were 55 inmates in the 18-24 age range, 190 in the 25 to 34 range, 137 between 35 and 44 and 65 from 45 to 54. One inmate was 70.
Hornberger said 31 inmates were parole violators, 24 were sentenced on drug related charges, 21 for DUI, 20 for possession of a controlled substance and 19 for simple assault.
District Attorney Drew Welsh said many of those convicted also had additional charges.
County Commissioner Wayne Brosius has been elected chairman of the jail board and Welsh was elected vice chairman.