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State prison terms often begin at county jail
By Amy A. Thompson, CLARION NEWS Writer

CLARION - The Clarion County Corrections Facility has an important relationship with state corrections facilities. Before inmates sentenced to a state institution even step foot inside a state facility, they are often institutionalized at the Clarion County jail.

Clarion County Corrections Facility Warden Jeffrey Hornberger said a misconception of the jail is inmates sentenced to a state corrections facility never see the inside of the county jail.

In fact, inmates often spend a year to a year and a half at the county jail before they are sentenced to the state facility, Hornberger said.

Hornberger added it might be surprising to some people to learn that the jail houses inmates charged with many different offenses.

Of the 340 new commitments at the jail between Jan. 1 and July 19, the inmates are charged with offenses ranging from 36 alleged parole violators to one person charged with murder.

Other types of charges and the number inmates charged with that offense include:

4Attempted homicide, one.

4Theft/burglary, 36.

4DUI, 49.

4Sexual assaults, 26.

4Domestic, 19.

4Drug related charges, 28.

4Assaults, 29.

4Bad checks, 14.

4Corruption of minors, seven.

4Criminal trespass, eight.

4Driving while under suspension, seven.

4Disorderly conduct, six.

4Stalking, two.

4Prowling, one.

4Fugitive from justice, two.

4Illegal immigrants, 26.

4False reports, three.

4Terroristic threats, seven.

4Forgery, 10.

4Endangering the welfare of children, six.

4Harassment, 11.

4Arson, one.

4Resisting arrest, two.

4Public drunkenness, two.

Hornberger also said most of the charges are in combinations and the largest age group of an inmate is 35 to 36 years old.

The majority of the population at the jail is male with 282 males and 58 females.

The majority of the inmates also are single, while 53 are divorced, 53 are married, 24 are separated from their spouse, three are widowed, two are unknown, one was common law and one was cohabitating with another.

Of the inmates at the jail during this time period, 323 of them were white, 35 were Hispanic and 15 were black.

Hornberger said the inmates know what is expected of them because from the time they arrive at the institution they are prepared for the state Department of Corrections by receiving tuberculosis tests, showers and inmate handbooks for behavior.

Inmates also can work at the facility for 25 cents per hour or in exchange for community service.

Jobs inmates do vary from delivering and picking up trays in the cafeteria to the baseball field refurbishing that took place this spring.

Inmates who work under supervision outside the facility have to have been sentenced for a while so that corrections officers know their behavior.

“We’re just preparing them until they are moved onto the Department of Corrections,� Hornberger said.

Hornberger said it his goal to prepare all inmates for life outside of the jail whether it’s those inmates headed for a state corrections facility or those who are serving their sentence in the county jail.

In particular, Hornberger said he encourages inmates to take the GED exam.

This year, 20 inmates completed the GED exam. Hornberger said although inmates are encouraged to take the GED exam, the decision is ultimately up to the inmate.

“They have to be willing to take the GED test. We try to promote it,� Hornberger said.

Fifty-seven percent of all inmates at the jail have a high school diploma or GED equivalent.

The jail’s staff also serves as a component in institutionalizing inmates.

“We wear many hats,� Hornberger said.

Hornberger said the staff is a group of professionals who often listen to people’s problems.

Deputy Warden Shannon Dugan said correction officers have to know when someone is being sincere and when someone is lying to them.

Another aspect of inmate life is faith.

Hornberger said there are four Bible studies per week and the jail has a chaplin. John Phillips of the Church of God in Distant is the present chaplain.

The inmates as well as the staff also are always adapting to new faces.

“It’s revolving doors around here,� Hornberger said.

Hornberger said this year the jail has had to turn inmates from other counties away because there have been many times that the jail has operated at full capacity.

Changes in the DUI law is part of the reason, the jail has seen an increase in numbers, Hornberger explained.

The jail also has seen an increase in the number of illegal immigrants, who normally stay for 72 hours.

Hornberger said the county jail cannot refuse to hold illegal immigrants because it is only one of two corrections facilities in Western Pennsylvania certified to house illegal immigrants.

The jail also has forms written in Spanish, Dugan added.

The final aspect of institutionalizing inmates is in perceptions, whether those perceptions are in the jail or outside of it.

Hornberger said the staff at the jail tries to treat everyone with fairness and wants people outside the jail to realize the jails are not “dark, dirty dungeons� seen in movies or on television.

“We’re trying to correct their behavior,� Hornberger said.n