Berks Alliance Community Forum: The Cost of Incarceration

Spotlight on Building Justice in Berks:
The Cost of Incarceration

As Berks County is considering plans to replace its existing prison, several local organizations are working with the Vera Institute of Justice to better understand who is in jail and why.  The Building Justice in Berks coalition launched their Walk With Us project in December 2023.

In 2024, the operating budget for the Berks County jail system is over $52 million, representing 17 percent of the county’s general fund budget. Plans for a new jail put the expected building costs at $300 million. These are big numbers, but the consequences of incarceration extend far beyond these budget costs, affecting local employment, housing, and the overall socio-economic well-being of the community.

Recent data on the criminal justice and prison system in Berks County found that 76% of the individuals in prison had not yet gone to trial.  And that over a third of these pretrial inmates were unable to post bond.  These rates are among the highest in Pennsylvania.

Join us on August 29th to learn about the real costs of incarceration for our community. The session will highlight recent trends in the prison population, prison spending, and how incarceration connects to broader socio-economic issues.

Our presenters for this Spotlight program will include:

• Retired Berks County Judge Art Grim
• Bea Halbach-Singh, Senior Research Associate, Vera Institute of Justice
• Jordan Henning, Behavioral Health Counselor and Adjunct Professor of Social Work
• Person with experience of Berks County jail system

This presentation was organized by the Building Justice in Berks coalition and the Vera Institute of Justice. Together, the group launched the Walk With Us project in December to better understand the experiences of those who are incarcerated. To learn more about the project, visit the Building Justice in Berks website and check out this article in the Reading Eagle.