The Pennsylvania Prison Society released its May 2025 survey of county correctional facilities, which offers a glimpse into how these facilities confine more than 20,000 people. This survey is one of the only consistent, statewide looks into local jail conditions in Pennsylvania, making it a unique and essential resource for policymakers, advocates, and community members alike. The Prison Society has published county jail survey data on an interactive map that allows readers to explore facility-level data across the Commonwealth.
The latest semi-annual survey found that staffing challenges continue to persist more than five years since the start of the pandemic.
Staffing remains an issue for facilities
This staffing issue is not unique to Pennsylvania; across the nation, state and local prisons struggle to maintain a complete complement of staff, despite increases in wages.
"When there aren't enough staff, jail residents can end up spending days in their cells. They not only miss programming and calls with their families and lawyers, but they can also end up in de facto lockdown for days at a time,” said Claire Shubik-Richards, Executive Director of the PA Prison Society. “When there aren't enough staff, the staff who are working are, at best, exhausted from overtime and demoralized. At worst, they're not safe."
Thirty-four county correctional facilities responded to the latest semi-annual survey; you can find their responses here.
- Of those that answered, almost half had vacancy rates of 10 percent or higher for full-time security staff (14 out of 34)
- Five facilities have a vacancy rate of 25% or more
- Only a third of the facilities that responded have all approved full-time security positions filled (11 out of 34)
The staffing challenges found in this latest survey are similar to last December’s report, which found that almost half of the correctional facilities that responded to the survey were short staffed. The PA Prison Society’s prior reports show how staffing continues to show little improvement.
Some facilities expand opportunities for visits
There is progress, however, on another key issue.
In this survey to jails, Westmoreland and Armstrong reported on efforts to expand community connection. Westmoreland County’s visiting hours now include weekends. Also, Armstrong County allows people in jail to make as many video calls as they like, providing another avenue to maintain community ties.
Research shows that visiting with family while imprisoned has significantly improved chances for staying in the community when released. Family visits also lead to less rule-breaking behavior and foster a safer prison environment for the people who live and work there, along with the benefits to reentry.
We will continue conducting this survey semi-annually to identify emerging issues and ensure that both the public and jail administrators have access to current information on county jails across the state.