The Schuylkill County Prison Board continues to evaluate candidates for part-time corrections officers as the board aims to cut down overtime expenses.
During a prison board meeting Wednesday, Warden Eugene Berdanier said 18 candidates have been interviewed and a group will be invited back to take the correctional officer aptitude test. He said applications are still being reviewed by Human Resources and final recommendations are pending test results and background and reference checks.
The board is looking to hire two part-time officers for up to 28 hours per week with partial benefits and up to eight additional officers for up to 16 hours with no benefits.
According to a cost-benefit analysis, the county spent about $472,000 on overtime in 2011 and the addition of six part-time officers could save about $282,722.
As of Wednesday, the inmate population was 319, including 47 women. County Sheriff Joseph Groody, who filled in as chairman for a busy President Judge William E. Baldwin, said there are a group of inmates ready to be transported to a state facility. The suggested capacity for the prison is 240.
The average population for December was 276, peaking at 293, including 49 women. The average for 2012 was 285 inmates. Average length of stay per inmate for the year was 58 days.