LANCASTER, Pa. — The Lancaster County Prison was built in 1851 and renovated in 1971.
The second listening session for the proposed new Lancaster County Correctional Facility is at 6:30 p.m. today, Feb. 1, in the County Government Center.
All parties agree the current prison is outdated and there is a need for a new space to house incarcerated individuals. However, the size of the new correctional facility and the details of how it should be utilized has sparked conversation among advocates in the community.
The Lancaster County Commissioner, John Trescot, said, “What we have to do based from internal to the county is say ‘okay, based on the current demands, based on the projections and demographics going out 30 and 40 years, what do we need to design for?’”
The Advisory Committee and members from CGL, a consulting firm involved with the project, will be hosting the listening session for the public to hear insights, ideas and input on the proposed project. One of the details to be discussed is a possible increase in the number of beds inside the new facility.
“CGL, which is the consulting firm, is predicting that we might need a prison of up to 1,300 beds, and we think that’s just way too large and way too expensive for the county to have to pay for when simply unnecessary, and those funds can be better used for good in the community,” said Jason Perkowski, reverend at Power Interfaith.
According to the Commissioner, nothing is set in stone until the concrete is poured—which has a projected date sometime in 2026. He tells FOX43 News that the details and amount of beds available in the new facility could potentially change from now until 2026.
“The design can be changed, we could build all 1,200 beds, we could build some of them, we could partially build them—a lot of work right now is looking at what those beds actually are,” said Trescot.
More information and details about the proposed Lancaster County Prison can be found here.