State wants Vermont's inmates out of Camp Hill in Pennsylvania

The state has taken steps to move Vermont inmates out of a prison called Camp Hill in Pennsylvania, where they have been housed since June, Gov. Phil Scott announced Thursday.

The effort was announced one day after Sen. Dick Sears and Rep. Alice Emmons, who head the Joint Legislative Justice Oversight Committee, sent a letter to Scott's counsel asking for inmates to be moved to either another Pennsylvania prison or a facility in another state.

"We recognize that choices will be limited but we urge the Scott Administration to move as quickly as possible," the lawmakers' letter states.

Inmates and criminal justice advocates have raised issues with the Pennsylvania prison since before inmates were transferred there in June.

Conditions at SCI Camp Hill saw increased attention after the deaths of two Vermont inmates since October. A third inmate died within several weeks of returning to Vermont from the out-of-state facility. Agency of Human Services Secretary Al Gobeille and Department of Corrections Commissioner Lisa Menard say the interest in moving the inmates is unrelated to these deaths.

Under the current interstate compact with Pennsylvania, Vermont's inmates are under Pennsylvania's policies.

The governor said the state has started the process to search for a new prison contract. Gobeille said the move is "an indication that we’re looking for something different than what we have.”

There are 260 inmates from Vermont being housed at Camp Hill as of Thursday, according to Vermont Corrections Deputy Commissioner Mike Touchette. Vermont has a three-year contract with the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections since there is not enough room to jail all Vermont inmates in-state.

The governor, lawmakers and the Department of Corrections have all said Vermont also needs to continue efforts to reduce its prison population.

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Menard said Thursday that the department had been talking about moving the inmates out of Camp Hill even before Sears' and Emmons' letter. She said the department doesn't see the facility as a long-term solution, especially since it generally serves as an inmate intake facility for Pennsylvania inmates, which means inmates are typically housed there for a short time.

"It's not a facility, we now see, that is designed for, we believe, long-term housing," Menard said of Camp Hill.

She added, "We're looking for conditions of confinement that are perhaps more similar to Vermont for inmates who are serving long sentences."

Menard said that this includes more freedom to move within the facility or unit, access to education and other programming and more opportunities for contact with family.

Vermont Defender General Matt Valerio said that while inmates have been housed at Camp Hill, his office has had difficulties with access, including communication with inmates there and with conducting investigations.

Valerio said his office has had no phone contact with inmates and has been forced to spend money to send members of his office to Camp Hill to try to get access. He said that in other facilities, including in Vermont, inmates are allowed to speak to lawyers on a private phone line.

"It's clearly a step in the right direction," Valerio said of the effort to get out of Camp Hill.

He added, "Clearly, there's been complaints from the inmates and other advocates about the treatment of prisoners there. None of them necessarily rise to the level of being illegal, but they're definitely inconsistent with what our expectations were and have been over the years."

Menard said the goal is to also address complaints inmates and advocates have had about a $5 copay required at Camp Hill when inmates seek medical attention.

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Sen. Sears echoed Menard's concerns.

"I felt it was time to move forward, recognizing this group is a very difficult group, they're not choir boys, (they've committed) some of the most heinous crimes in the state of Vermont," Sears said.

Sears said the vast majority of inmates with long sentences will eventually be back in the community, which increases the need for programming and job opportunities while they're incarcerated. He added that he has been told that some inmates housed at Camp Hill spend up to 19 hours per day in their cell. Sears said that there were no objections from the Joint Justice Oversight Committee to send the memo calling for Vermont to pull out of Camp Hill.

According to the state's compact with Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, Vermont must give Pennsylvania six months notice before inmates are moved and the contract is dissolved.

The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections said in a statement Thursday it "is content with whatever decision the state of Vermont chooses regarding housing its inmates and will offer its full cooperation to assist Vermont in its efforts."

Contributing: April McCullum, Free Press Staff Writer. Contact Elizabeth Murray at 651-4835 or emurray@freepressmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @LizMurrayBFP.