This project emerges from debates in Berks County about a potential new $340 million jail that would be the largest infrastructure project in the county’s history and would be fueled by debt and increased taxes. The existing jail has real problems that the county needs to remedy, but the county already spends more than $52 million annually on jail operations—its single largest expenditure. This report, by the Vera Institute of Justice, a national nonprofit organization, and two local organizations—Building Justice in Berks, with support from The Real Deal 610—highlights the views of people who have been missing from the debate so far: those with firsthand experience of detention in the Berks County Prison (Berks County jail). It also uses jail roster data to provide a clear picture of the jail population and the policy choices that shape admissions and releases.

 

Berks County government leaders, who have publicly paused the new jail project in 2023 to further explore strategies for “jail population reduction,” have a rare opportunity to make transformative decisions about how the county invests its resources in public safety. This is a critical juncture at which to dig deeper into the realities of current jail usage and the consequences of jail for local residents and to explore potential policy changes that are likely to generate better outcomes than expanding jail detention.

 

Combining analysis of official jail administrative data and stories from 121 local people, this report shows that stakeholders in the debate about a new jail are likely underestimating the human and economic costs of jail incarceration and overestimating its benefits. The current jail is too often used as the default tool—rather than as an expensive option of last resort—to address complex social issues such as poverty, homelessness, and substance use. Meanwhile, resources to provide more effective responses to serve those needs are insufficient. The overuse of the jail comes at a great cost to the county budget, the well-being of residents, and the economic vitality of Berks County.

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Regardless of whether the county pursues jail construction, this report asks Berks County government leaders to consider the Berks County jail in a different light: as just one tool among many in the public safety toolbox—one that should be used with precision only for cases that pose real threats to public safety. It also asks leaders to confront the negative costs of responding to socioeconomic and public health problems with the wrong tool (detention) time and time again.

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This report shows that current practices and policies in Berks are putting too many people in jail and holding people there for too long without a clear public safety benefit. Many people are incarcerated for nonpayment of child support, trespassing, drug possession, theft, and violations of community supervision (such as probation)—and the county has not yet attempted to find meaningful and effective alternative strategies to reduce such activities in a sustainable way. Excessive pretrial detention is not unique to Berks, but national research shows it is harmful to individuals, public safety, and due process. Rather than going further down the path of detention, Berks County could invest in more effective and less costly policies that keep people out of detention. The concrete examples of policies and practices implemented in other counties are already showing positive outcomes and would be more humane and affordable. Berks County is well-positioned to be a leader in the region by taking a new, bold path: reducing its reliance on expensive and ineffective jail detention and expanding policies and programs that strengthen safety and economic inclusion.