Fayette County Jail could soon house federal inmates, commissioners call it a ‘win-win’

UNIONTOWN, Pa. — A unanimous Fayette County Commission voted to enter into a contract with U.S. Marshals to house federal inmates at the county jail in Uniontown.

“We’ve been negotiating this for months,” said Commissioner Vincent Vicites. “We’re fully aware of what our responsibilities are in carrying this out. This kind of opportunity presented itself to create more revenue and that’s why the prison board decided to do it.”

That revenue for the county could be significant.

If approved by the prison board, the county would be able to hold up to 30 federal inmates.

The county would get paid $96 per day per inmate. A full year of having 30 inmates at $96 per day is a little over $1 million dollars. The county would also get paid for transportation and reimbursed for any outside medical care for the inmates.

“We want to create a revenue stream for this because we had to build this prison and it was an expensive proposition and now we’re trying to recoup funds,” Vicites told Channel 11’s Andrew Havranek.

“Yes, it’s going to generate revenue, but sometimes there [are] more important things about money,” said Tracy Wilson, President of The Democratic Women of Fayette County.

Wilson said she has concerns about safety, whether there is going to be enough staffing and training at the jail for employees to handle federal inmates, and the potential for the county jail to become filled with immigration detainees.

“I’m not coming out saying we’re totally against it, but there [are] just a lot of questions,” she said.

Commissioners said the jail has the space — nearly 100 free beds on average. They say the jail also has more than enough staffing of guards and other employees.

They also say the county will have the final say on whether a certain federal inmate is housed here.

“We control who goes in there so that is not our intention. This is purely to generate some revenue and utilize our prison fully,” Vicites said. “We feel it’s a win-win.”

Commissioners say federal inmates can start staying at the Fayette County Jail as soon as that contract is approved. The prison board meeting to vote on the contract is set for next Wednesday, April 30, at 9:15 a.m.

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