More areas of the Butler County Prison will be captured on film.

The county commissioners on Wednesday approved a $293,384 contract with Com-Tec of Greenville, Wis., to add 37 cameras and upgrade the system software.

The contract includes 12 new video monitors, switching the system from analog to digital and six video workstations.

“This is going to be an extensive upgrade,” said Warden Joe DeMore.

He said the project would take six months to complete.

DeMore said the new cameras, which will be added to the existing 390 cameras in the South Washington Street building, will provide a full view of inmate housing pods.

He said the upgrade would likely have been necessary in a couple years when the current analog system could become obsolete.

The cost will be paid from the inmate commissary fund, which has roughly $750,000.

The commissioners also approved a service agreement with Com-Tec to provide preventive maintenance and emergency service for $10,600 in the first year with a 2-percent increase in each of the following two years.

In other action regarding the prison, the commissioners amended a contract with Securus Technologies of Carrollton, Texas, to expand its service from inmate phones to providing the digital law library.

DeMore said the switch eliminates the current use of mobile units since the Securus kiosks in the inmate pods would be used.

The extra $8,000 annual cost to the Securus agreement is roughly $1,000 less than what the prison pays Nexus Lexus for accessing the law library from the mobile units.

According to the county controller's office, Securus receives $16,000 to $20,000 monthly for phone calls, which are fully paid by the inmates. Another $10,000 goes to the county from the fees assessed to the prisoners.

The commissioners also approved an agreement with Armstrong Utilities to add a new Internet line for inmate GED testing at a monthly cost of $56.45.

An inmate housing and mutual aid agreement with Allegheny County also was approved.

Under the agreement, Butler would house Allegheny inmates at a daily cost of $60 per inmate and cover emergency transfers to each other's facility.