The pending closure of state prisons may not impact the Butler County Prison inmate population.

At the county prison board meeting Tuesday, Warden Joe DeMore said the type of state inmate housed there — those serving technical parole violations — is a factor.

“We may not be affected at all,” he said.

Technical violations are infractions, such as missing a meeting with a probation officer, that do not incur additional criminal charges.

DeMore said there would be no impact to the county if the state would close its Pittsburgh or Mercer prisons, because the parole violators come from various sites.

“It doesn’t really matter where they come from,” he said in an interview.

As of Tuesday, there were 22 state inmates in the county’s total prison population of 332. Of that total, 36 are federal inmates assigned by the U.S. Marshal’s office.

Another factor is the county’s contract with the state Department of Corrections, which limits the total number of state inmates to 30.

For the county to house more than 30, it would need to sign a new agreement with the state.

Under the current contract, the state pays the county a daily rate of $72 per inmate.

The state plans to close two prisons by June 30.

Along with Pittsburgh and Mercer, three other facilities in Luzerne, Schuylkill and Wayne counties are under consideration for closure.

The state is set to announce on Jan. 26 which two prisons will be shut down.