![\"Berks](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/REG-L-WardenJeffreySmith.jpg\")
Berks County Jail Warden Jeffrey R. Smith says administrators expanded programming, strengthened partnerships with community agencies and continued to emphasize mental health, education and accountability. (Reading Eagle)<\/p>\nJail officials delivered an update to members of the Berks County Prison Board, highlighting the implementation of new programs and the expansion of services designed to create more opportunities for incarcerated individuals to succeed.<\/p>\n
Warden Jeffrey Smith said his team at the Bern Township facility was excited to share the progress that was made in 2025 to better support individuals in their care.<\/p>\n
Berks County Jail Warden Jeffrey R. Smith says administrators expanded programming, strengthened partnerships with community agencies and continued to emphasize mental health, education and accountability. (Reading Eagle)<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have taken meaningful steps toward a more effective and humane system,\u201d he told the board Thursday. \u201cOur focus has moved beyond custody to strengthening our commitment to rehabilitation, successful reentry into the community and improving overall wellbeing.\u201d<\/p>\n
The warden said jail administrators are meeting these new goals through expanded programming, stronger partnerships with community agencies and continued emphasis on mental health, education and accountability.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have created more opportunities for incarcerated individuals to succeed both during their time in the facility and after their release,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Smith said those opportunities include the expansion of several group and individual counseling programs that focus on a variety of issues from substance abuse to past trauma to mental health.<\/p>\n
In addition to those programs, inmates are being granted more time out of their cells to promote overall well-being. That time can be spent taking advantage of new fitness equipment and more recreation options, which he believes encourages physical activity and better engagement.<\/p>\n
The warden said jail officials are working to strengthen inmate engagement with people outside the facility as well. Individuals are given one free phone call a month, two free video calls a week and increased visitation time in an effort to help them stay connected to their families and support systems.<\/p>\n
Preparing for release<\/p>\n
Deputy Warden of Treatment Stephanie Smith highlighted a few other new initiatives and the expansion of several programs designed to prepare inmates for the challenges they will encounter after their release back into the community.<\/p>\n
There has been a renewed effort to ensure inmates are enrolled in the Medication Assistance Program, which gives them a 14-day supply of their prescribed medication free of charge as soon as they are released without having to wait for appointments.<\/p>\n
Stephanie Smith said another big development was partnering with PennDOT last spring to provide county prisoners a valid state identification or application for a state identification before release. Since the program has been up and running, 549 applications have been submitted and 409 IDs and licenses have been issued.<\/p>\n
She also highlighted how the jail has provided funding to continue The Reality Check Project, a program led by people who have been through the criminal justice system that focuses on reentry concepts. The program is free to attend for those who have left the jail in the last 12 months.<\/p>\n
In the works<\/p>\n
While tremendous progress was made in 2025, Jeffrey Smith said there is more work to be done.<\/p>\n
He said jail administrators are working to expand wellness and personal growth programs with the introduction of a yoga class to promote mindfulness, the launch of an art program in which local artists work with inmates to create murals and the start of an initiative in which inmates help train puppies to work as service dogs.<\/p>\n
Health care<\/p>\n
Along with hearing about new programs at the prison, the board was also presented updates on other aspects of the jail.<\/p>\n
Tom Weber, the chief operating officer at PrimeCare Medical, gave the prison board an overview of the health care needs at the jail. PrimeCare has been managing the health care of inmates at the jail for more than three decades.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are essentially running a small hospital in the facility,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Weber said that while the prison has had fewer inmates over the last several years the medical needs of the inmates housed there remains the same because of the social and economic pressures that persist within the community.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnfortunately, it is our sickest and our poorest individuals who remain incarcerated, while those who have more opportunities are released,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He reported that the number of inmates who saw a member of his staff at the jail grew slightly from 2024 to 2025. He said there were 181,446 completed appointments for care over the course of that year. Those appointments cover everything from routine medical visits to consultations with a mental health professional.<\/p>\n
Weber said the number of inmates transported to medical facilities is also on the rise.<\/p>\n
He said there were about 750 off-site trips, representing an increase of about 10% over the previous year. These transports are to facilities that provide specialized medical services that are not offered at the jail like orthopedic surgery and reproductive health.<\/p>\n
One bright spot, Weber noted, is that there was a slight decrease in the number of inmates who are receiving medication for mental illness from about 50% of the population in 2024 to 48% in 2025.<\/p>\n
Community partners<\/p>\n
The board was also given detailed reports on how the jail is working with its community partners.<\/p>\n
Here is what some of them had to say:<\/p>\n
\u2022 The Berks County Council on Chemical Abuse contracts with Treatment Access and Services to operate a Medical Assistance Diversion Program that primarily serves individuals on probation who have been referred through the court system.<\/p>\n
Kathleen Noll, executive director of the organization, said that working with Treatment Access and Services the Medical Assistance Diversion Program has made 437 referrals to treatment, conducted 400 clinical assessments, admitted 344 of those individuals into treatment and had 253 people successfully discharged from the treatment during this current fiscal year.<\/p>\n
The council has also worked with the county jail to grow medication assisted treatment opportunities to those dealing with substance abuse issues using money received from opioid settlement funds.<\/p>\n
Noll said providing medication during incarceration significantly reduces the risk of inmates overdosing following their release from jail and allows participants to focus on immediate reentry needs without having to struggle with physical addiction issues.<\/p>\n
\u2022 The Berks Counseling Center provides immediate support to those struggling with substance abuse issues who have been released from the jail.<\/p>\n
Bonnie Triebig, clinic director of the center, said a case manager will pick up the individual upon release from the jail and take them to the pharmacy so they will have the medications they need. They are then taken to the center for their first outpatient appointment and dropped off at their homes.<\/p>\n
\u2022 The Berks County Intermediate Unit provides educational services at the jail.<\/p>\n
Dr. Sara George, assistant director of student services, told the board that the organization has helped more than 870 students complete GED courses and about 150 students earn a high school diploma over the past 28 years.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Connections Work assists more than 2,000 people who have been involved in the justice system with a primary focus on helping those who are reentering the community following incarceration.<\/p>\n
Peggy Kershner, co-executive director of the organization, highlighted several of the programs that Connections Work operates in collaboration with the jail.<\/p>\n
The Reentry Resource Center provides funding for clients to acquire items needed to ensure success like obtaining a state ID and finding transportation.<\/p>\n
Reentry Works helps clients become successful employees and helps address issues of unemployment.<\/p>\n
Working Towards Change provides clients with case managers to help them develop a release plan, set objectives and identify resources needed to achieve those goals.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Jail officials delivered an update to members of the Berks County Prison Board, highlighting the implementation of new…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":87762,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[349,182,139,28,128,130,129,706],"class_list":["post-164594","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-reading","tag-berks-county","tag-local-news","tag-news","tag-pennsylvania","tag-reading-city","tag-reading-city-headlines","tag-reading-city-news","tag-top-stories-reg"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/164594","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=164594"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/164594\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/87762"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=164594"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=164594"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=164594"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}