While a recently released state audit reported overcrowding and understaffing problems at the State Correctional Institution at Rockview, the prison is managing to operate smoothly, said Jack Allar, superintendent's assistant at Rockview.
Allar said he could not comment specifically on the details of the auditor general's report, but noted that the prison is 155 percent over its capacity of 1,250 inmates, with about 1,940 prisoners.
The audit, conducted from July 1, 1987 to June 30, 1989, listed Rockview at 150 percent inmate capacity with 1,968 inmates. Pat Wood, press secretary for Auditor General Barbara Hafer, said these figures fit the statewide average in all 14 prisons.
The overcrowding's biggest effect is on providing work programs for all inmates, Allar said. He added that between 100 and 200 inmates don't have work assignments.
But all Rockview inmates have the opportunity for treatment programs and educational opportunities, although some services have waiting lists, he said.
"Generally, anyone who needs treatment can get it at Rockview," Allar said.
Treatment programs at the prison include drug and alcohol programs such as Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous, a program for sex offenders and a group for inmates suffering Post Traumatic Stress disorders, he said. Inmates can also work on their education through literacy programs and degrees offered by Penn State and the Pennsylvania Business Institute.
The audit also noted problems in understaffing and in mandatory attendance at training programs for staff, with the highest absenteeism in workshops on suicide prevention, AIDS and CPR.
The attendance problem is probably an indirect result of overcrowding, since officers often cannot get off work to attend the programs, Allar said.
"The reality is that double-celling has placed a great stress on the system. It's like throwing a pebble into a pond -- the overcrowding ripples into everything," he said.
Rockview has recently hired additional staff for both treatment and correction officers, he added.
The prison is six employees below its standard of 333, he said.
