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Technical violations cost Pa. about $100 million a year

  • Ed Mahon
PA Department of Corrections Secretary John Wetzel attends the formal dedication of the State Correctional Institution at Phoenix Friday June 1, 2018 in Collegeville, Pa.

 Jacqueline Larma / AP Photo

PA Department of Corrections Secretary John Wetzel attends the formal dedication of the State Correctional Institution at Phoenix Friday June 1, 2018 in Collegeville, Pa.

For those who felt terrified after reading Monday’s tick-focused Context, The Allegheny Front’s Kara Holsopple has some handy tips for avoiding and dealing with ticks while hiking. Some that I found useful: Wear long socks. Walk in the center of the trail. Pack a magnifying glass. –Ed Mahon, PA Post reporter

Probation and parole problems

Jacqueline Larma / AP Photo

PA Department of Corrections Secretary John Wetzel attends the formal dedication of the State Correctional Institution at Phoenix Friday June 1, 2018 in Collegeville, Pa.

  • The state spends about $100 million a year to lock up people for technical parole violations, such as missing curfew or failing drug tests, according to a new report. “These technical parole violations, when they result in incarceration, really lead to further crime and further violation,” John Wetzel, secretary for the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, said on a conference call Tuesday.

  • NPR’s Carrie Johnson took a national look at the report, which shows that, across the country, nearly half the people admitted to state prisons are there because of probation or parole violations.

  • And back in Pa., WITF’s Katie Meyer looked at the challenges ahead for a package of bills that would overhaul part of the state’s criminal justice system. The measures, including legislation that would allow for automatic parole for some low-level offenders, easily passed the Senate but face a slower path in the House.

Best of the rest

Katie Meyer / WITF

GOP Congressman Glenn Thompson displays his pro-dairy t-shirt to a surprised but appreciative crowd.

  • A group of state and federal lawmakers want more whole milk in Pennsylvania schools, WITF’s Katie Meyer reports. “We lost an entire generation of kids that aren’t drinking milk,” said U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson, a Republican of Centre County.

  • WHYY’s Aaron Mosele has the details of a report that shows one in three Pennsylvania households struggles to afford basic necessities. The numbers are worse in Philly.

  • In his first veto of his second term, Gov. Tom Wolf rejected legislation that would have expanded a tax credit program that benefits private schools. Wolf said public schools remain underfunded and the program “lacks proper accountability and oversight.”


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