Lehigh County Jail inmates often spend weeks in segregation, study finds

ALLENTOWN, Pa. — People incarcerated in Lehigh County jail spend an average of two weeks in solitary confinement once separated, according to data shared with county commissioners this week.

A study on disciplinary segregation in the jail data tracked the use of the punishment tool throughout March.

According to a report requested by the county Board of Commissioners' Courts and Corrections Committee, 104 people were moved to "segregation" in March.

Of those, 87 were for misconduct violations. It was the remediation for 47.5% of instances for the infraction, the study found.

The average stay for those incarcerated people is 15.55 days, with the total number of segregation days for misconduct at 1,353 according to county data.

A total 183 misconduct violations were given during this time.

Seventeen others were isolated for safety and security reasons, for an average of 4.47 days.

According to Lehigh County Director of Corrections Janine Donate, a variety of violations — such as assault, threats to staff, contraband possession and other charges — and the seriousness of those charges have contributed to the length of stay in segregated rooming.

"Somebody that's given a misconduct and move to segregation is considered at that point a safety and security risk because of the reason for the misconduct," Donate said.

"It depends on the severity of the offense, and the risk that they pose to someone else or the security of our facility."

Demographic data for age, race and other factors were not included in the presentation.

Kinds, frequency of discipline

Donate said the goal is to have someone always in the least restrictive housing unit, but disagreements, impulsive issues, and other factors can cause difficulty.

She said 64 days was the average length of stay for someone in the Lehigh County Jail in 2023.

Inmates could spend weeks in solitary confinement status, with the average time spent in segregation for those placed in it 13.74 days.

For March, the county states that the average jail population was 786.

The county tracked two forms of inmate segregation, or solitary confinement, that it uses.

Administrative segregation separates inmates deemed volatile and an immediate threat to other inmates and staff, inmates who require close supervision, restrictions on freedom of movement or are on security alert status, inmates who cannot make "satisfactory adjustment to confinement in the general population and inmates classified for other reasons determined by the warden.

Disciplinary segregation is a status established to house inmates who have violated one or more institutional rules, to correct their behavior and to deter a future recurrence.

Jail officials in the report state that disciplinary segregation lets them provide a more secure, safe housing for those inmates that provides more structure "consistent with their disciplinary status."

Commissioner John Irons said, to Donate's agreement, that those who are more angry and threaten safety also often ARE the ones who need the most help.

Irons said he was surprised to see how often officers were in to bring segregated incarcerated people to recreation, appointments or other social contacts.

A controversial practice

The use of solitary confinement often comes under fire from reform-minded activists, who cite psychological issues caused by the practice, which can increase the already risk of recidivism.

"Solitary confinement, I believe, as a policy and practice is one of the greatest impediments to rehabilitation and reentry, and it deserves our greatest focus," Irons said.

"This is not a conversation about tearing down brick by brick the Lehigh County Jail. But I do see that there's a need for a relentless commitment to rehabilitation and successful re-entry as a way to stop the bleeding in the short term."

Lehigh County state representative Mike Schlossberg and Bucks County Rep. Tina Davis stated last year that they plan to introduce a bill that changes how solidary confinement can work in the state.

It would, as the representatives claim, offer enough socialization to prevent the worst physical and mental effects of isolation and offer those with serious mental health issues alternatives when incarcerated people are given segregated confinement.

"Segregated confinement deprives inmates of normal human interaction, access to rehabilitative programs and processes, and greatly contributes to a variety of negative physiological and psychological reactions, such as hallucinations, depression, anxiety, and paranoia," a news release by Davis and Schlossberg states.

'Should be a rehabilitative place'

Resident J.T. Corra of South Whitehall Township said, "We're paying for people to be, you know, punished.

"But it just causes that cycle from the start of the incarceration to when we get out, and we face housing issues, employment issues, other type of issues that cause us to go back in.

"And I agree that prison should be a rehabilitative place."

Another resident asked how the duration and frequency of solitary confinement use compares with any best practices, as well as other trends related to the correctional system.

Irons said he would try to follow up on the concerns, but said data sometimes can be difficult to gather when dealing with multiple government agencies.

Donate said best practices are to keep it at or less than 15 days, but severity can determine punishment for an infraction.

Lehigh County Commissioners recently passed an I.D. program to assist inmates with a common barrier to reentry.