Butler County Prison Treatment Counselors (left to right) Darren Knox, Travis Mosulski and Aaron Sloboda inside the treatment center at Butler County Prison.

Butler County Prison officials are pleased with a program that moved inmate treatment from the Gaiser Center almost a year ago to a former pod at the prison on South Washington Street.

Jen Passarelli, deputy warden of security and treatment at the prison, said 14 classes dealing with issues like addiction, anger management, trauma, GED training, various drug and alcohol classes and other offerings are held for inmates.

Five prison counselors run most of the classes, with the Center for Community Resources and Butler County Community College teaching some as well.

“It's all psychosocial education,” Passarelli said.

She said a former work-release unit was transformed into a large open space with no cells and four classrooms. The bunks in the space must remain in case the prison population increases and beds are needed.

About 75 percent of the inmates at the prison who are labeled medium- or high-risk for returning to prison use the treatment center, Passarelli said.

There are 317 total inmates at the prison. About 15 inmates participate in each class.

She said inmates are given an initial risk screening with 12 questions to determine if they are at a low, medium or high risk to return to the prison in the future.

A full report appears in Tuesday's Butler Eagle.