Pennsylvania

Costs for Pa. prisons soar despite facility closures

Published

2 years ago

May 20, 2024

Costs for Pa. prisons soar despite facility closures

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HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections wants more than $300 million in next year’s budget despite a declining population of incarcerated people and the recent closure of two facilities, sparking tough questions from lawmakers.

Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro’s budget proposal to the state legislature included more than $200 million in additional funding for the department, which would bring the agency’s full request to roughly $3.3 billion. The department is also asking the legislature to approve an additional $100 million in supplemental funds to cover spending beyond last year’s projections.

Officials contend the increase is needed to address both additional federal requirements and dwindling federal funds; obligations to employee union contracts; and overtime driven by staffing vacancies.

But lawmakers questioned how such a substantial increase was needed after the prison system promised savings following the closure of two facilities in 2017 and 2020. State Sen. Lisa Baker (R., Luzerne) noted the request was twice what taxpayers were supposed to save.

“What happened with the cost savings that we expected from those closures?” Baker asked during a February appropriations meeting. “As we look at the cost to carry forward, it doesn’t seem like saving. Taxpayers are going to ask how did we propose $120 million in closures and we’re looking at a double increase currently.”

The simple answer? It costs more to do the same thing.

The corrections department oversees nearly 38,000 incarcerated individuals across 24 prisons and employs more than 17,000 people in both the prison and parole systems. Its budget includes the cost of running the prisons, which is its largest expense, and operating the state’s parole and pardons boards, the Office of Victim Advocate, and the parole system.

About 85% of the corrections budget increase is due to cost-to-carry increases, Harry told legislators at the hearing, or the cost to continue the same level of services the department currently provides.

State prisons are the biggest cost driver, both in overspending last year and additional spending next year. The agency’s proposed budget includes a $169 million increase for the prisons alone, funds that will go toward growing expenses like utilities, food and facility maintenance, and contract-mandated pay increases for the unionized staff and security officers.

The agency also wants the legislature to approve $53 million to cover similar contract-mandated increases during the prior fiscal year.

Medically assisted treatment

The department also saw significant increases in the cost of providing medication-assisted treatment, or MAT, to people who are incarcerated and suffering from opioid use disorder.

MAT uses a combination of counseling, behavioral therapy, and pharmaceutical drugs to help people recover from opioid addiction. In April 2022, the U.S. Department of Justice ruled that opioid use disorder qualifies as a disability under federal law, which required the state prison system to grow its decade-old MAT program to provide proper accommodation.

Despite the mandate, available federal grants don’t cover the full cost of Pennsylvania’s expanded program, which went $10.5 million over budget. Medication and treatment will cost $30 million in the next fiscal year.

In Pennsylvania state prisons, there about 1,800 people receive this type of treatment, Harry said, but the department expects that number to grow as some county jails begin to provide their own therapies to people who are incarcerated before trial.

Staffing issues

Years after the height of the coronavirus pandemic, staff vacancies still troublePennsylvania’s prisons, and caused overtime costs to exceed last year’s projections by $30 million.

Across the prisons, about 8% of positions were unfilled as of April, including 779 corrections officer vacancies.

“Last year, in 2023, the number I see is that there were 40 employees in your department that had received over $100,000 in overtime pay,” said state Sen. Greg Rothman (R., Perry). “Is that acceptable?”

Harry told legislators the department is focused on recruiting and retaining employees to reduce the number of overtime shifts needed to properly staff the prisons. The department has expanded its hiring beyond state borders and to people as young as 18 years old, though only 16 corrections officers under the age of 21 have been hired so far.

At the same time, the population is smaller than it was before the pandemic, which saw numbers dwindle from more than 45,000 people in 2020 to about 36,000 people in 2022.

The population has slowly increased over the past two years, and the agency expects it to plateau around 40,000 people.

But the department does not necessarily adjust staffing levels in lockstep with fluctuations in the incarcerated population because staffing needs vary by institution and account for the physical layout of the prison, the programs offered, and more, said department spokesperson Maria Bivens.

“In addition, the DOC conducts regular staffing surveys at its facilities to ensure effective allocation of personnel,” she said.

Unplanned absences still drive corrections officers to volunteer for additional shifts even as the department has lowered its mandatory overtime rate. Corrections officers are also required to staff hospital posts when an incarcerated person is being treated at a medical facility outside the prison, Bivens said.

“And while the prison population is down from the highs of several years ago, the remaining population is older, and requires more medical care, necessitating additional staff,” she said.

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Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Lottery Mega Millions, Pick 2 Day results for Feb. 27, 2026

Published

56 minutes ago

February 28, 2026

Press Room

The Pennsylvania Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at Friday, Feb. 27, 2026 results for each game:

Winning Mega Millions numbers from Feb. 27 drawing

11-18-39-43-67, Mega Ball: 23

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 2 numbers from Feb. 27 drawing

Day: 4-7, Wild: 5

Evening: 8-8, Wild: 0

Check Pick 2 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from Feb. 27 drawing

Day: 6-7-7, Wild: 5

Evening: 0-0-3, Wild: 0

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from Feb. 27 drawing

Day: 7-2-1-4, Wild: 5

Evening: 5-7-3-1, Wild: 0

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 5 numbers from Feb. 27 drawing

Day: 8-4-5-4-4, Wild: 5

Evening: 1-1-9-8-7, Wild: 0

Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 5 numbers from Feb. 27 drawing

04-14-16-20-38

Check Cash 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Treasure Hunt numbers from Feb. 27 drawing

02-04-08-13-30

Check Treasure Hunt payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Match 6 Lotto numbers from Feb. 27 drawing

10-12-23-31-33-46

Check Match 6 Lotto payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from Feb. 27 drawing

03-04-13-28-42, Bonus: 02

Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

Sign the Ticket: Ensure your ticket has your signature, name, address and phone number on the back.
Prizes up to $600: Claim at any PA Lottery retailer or by mail: Pennsylvania Lottery, ATTN: CLAIMS, PO BOX 8671, Harrisburg, PA 17105.
Prizes from $600 to $2,500: Use a Claim Form to claim at a retailer or by mail: Pennsylvania Lottery, ATTN: CLAIMS, PO BOX 8671, Harrisburg, PA 17105.
Prizes over $2,500: Mail your signed ticket with a Claim Form or in person at a Lottery Area Office (9 a.m. to 4 p.m.).

Lottery Headquarters is currently not open to the public. Visit the PA Lottery website for other office locations near you.

When are the Pennsylvania Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 10:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 11 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
Pick 2, 3, 4, 5: 1:35 p.m. and 6:59 p.m. daily.
Cash4Life: 9 p.m. daily.
Millionaire for Life: 11:15 p.m. daily
Cash 5: 6:59 p.m. daily.
Treasure Hunt: 1:35 p.m. daily.
Match 6 Lotto: 6:59 p.m. Monday and Thursday.
Powerball Double Play: 10:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Saturday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Pennsylvania editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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Pennsylvania

Affordable Housing Centers of Pennsylvania Helps Homeowners Protect Their Investment Across Generations » NCRC

Published

13 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Affordable Housing Centers of Pennsylvania Helps Homeowners Protect Their Investment Across Generations » NCRC

For the past 17 years, the Affordable Housing Centers of Pennsylvania (AHCOPA) has provided a range of programs designed to build wealth within low- and moderate-income (LMI) communities. AHCOPA provides services to approximately 3,000 people each year via their pre-purchase, post-purchase and mortgage prevention counseling programs.

When Kenneth Bigos joined AHCOPA as their Executive Director in 2013, he set out to expand the organization’s offerings beyond first-time homeownership counseling services. He identified estate planning as an urgent need for the region’s LMI communities as well.

A 2022 Consumer Reports survey found that 77% of Black and 82% of Hispanic Americans do not have a will in place, which is needed to ensure that their home investment continues to build generational wealth. Consequently, the state court steps in upon the owner’s passing to decide how assets will be distributed, with property not being able to be transferred to an heir until that lengthy process is complete. In Philadelphia alone, there are approximately 10,000 properties with titles that have not been legally settled.

In response to this, AHCOPA launched the Will Power program in 2022 by leveraging existing relationships with pro-bono lawyers in the creation of wills and trusts for community members. The program has created an opportunity to serve a larger portion of Philadelphia’s population.

While the first-time homebuyer program initially attracted people in their mid-30s, Will Power participants are generally in their late 60s, prompting AHCOPA to think about what housing support looks like across an individual’s lifetime.

“Elderly households are more vulnerable,” Bigos said. “To reach these homeowners, we had to develop relationships with trusted agencies, such as senior centers, churches and other institutions that we would not typically work with in our first-time homebuyer program.”

As a result of that work, AHCOPA marked a major milestone in October 2025: the signing of 1,000 wills. Thanks to the success of Will Power and the first-time homebuyer program, AHCOPA has solidified its reputation as the go-to financial advisor for working-class residents.

Looking ahead, they are planning to add a new program designed to support people beyond the initial purchase of their home, which will include coaching to help owners develop their financial literacy. This would encompass how to build savings to buy a first home and avoid foreclosure in the event of a crisis.

For Bigos, NCRC membership is key to ensuring the success of these programs, especially in terms of organizing at the federal, state and local levels advocating for continued funding.

“Engaging with decision makers is very important and being an NCRC member has helped facilitate those relationships,” Bigos said. “Their support has been very impactful.”

Jesse Rhodes is a Contributing Writer.

Photo courtesy of the AHCOPA team.

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Pennsylvania

How gambling revenue helps Pennsylvania fire departments

Published

1 day ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

How gambling revenue helps Pennsylvania fire departments

It is hard to imagine that money spent and collected at casinos and in slot machines around the state can wind up being used at local volunteer fire departments throughout the commonwealth, but it’s true.

In Pennsylvania, a portion of the state’s gaming revenue is allocated to support fire departments and emergency management services to the tune of about $30 million each year.

Departments can apply for those funds through a series of state grants, and most departments say that the money from gaming is vital to help them pay for equipment, vehicles and even improvements to their buildings.

“This time we put in for a grant to finish our second floor of our facility here,” said Derry Township Fire Chief Mark Piantine.

Piantine says that gambling revenue has purchased many things for his department in the past like swift water rescue boats as well as a new equipment washing station. Now he hopes that money can give his company a place to sleep when they are working long shifts in bad weather.

“The last storm we had, the Snowmageddon here a couple of weeks ago, we had people staying overnight,” Piantine said. “They were laying across the seats of the trucks and on the floor sleeping because our second floor is not finished.”

Piantine says every little bit helps both their department and other departments, because when it comes right down to it, running a fire department is expensive.

“When you buy a regular pair of gloves, you may pay $25 for them. We buy a pair of gloves, they’re $75 to $100,” said Piantine. “You can buy a pair of boots for $50, ours cost $600.”

Just a few miles away, in the city of Latrobe, Chief John Brasile says that while the city does a lot for them financially, gaming revenue helps a lot. It even helps them make payments on their rescue unit.

“We have about a year’s worth of payments left on it,” Brasile said. “And we use our money for debt reductions on that truck.”

“And that’s essentially from gambling revenue?” Chris DeRose asked.

“Yes. It comes from the State Fire Commissioners’ Office,” Brasile said.

“When is that truck paid off?” DeRose asked.

“About this time next year,” Brasile replied. “And then we can use that money for other stuff then. We would like to get new rescue tools for that truck and they’re expensive.”

The fire departments KDKA has spoken with about using state grant money from gambling revenue say that gambling money is great, but it is not a cure-all. And in fact, on Thursday night, the Latrobe Fire Department was holding yet another fundraising event to help them once again raise money for new fire equipment.

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